Interlude
by sexylyon
Summary: A 'what-if' story set between plot points in the NA version - Usagi and Mamoru meet and discover love before they discover who they were to each other.
1. part 1

interlude - part one 

It was Saturday and Saturday was always Serena's favorite day. A whole weekend full of shopping and the arcade, teasing her little brother and best of all, no school. Two whole days without worrying about failing any tests. Two whole days of fun and hanging out with all her friends. 

Well, usually Saturday was her favorite day. This particular one hadn't started so well. Friday night, they had defeated yet one more piece of Negaverse scum and Serena could still feel the bruises _that_ had taken. And to add insult to injury, she'd fallen flat on her face again and Rei had been the one to finally blast the creature into nega-bits. Serena just hated it when Rei got to play the big hero. _'She'll be just impossible today,'_ Serena thought, _'preening and posing and teasing me. I bet she'll even say that I didn't help at all!' _Serena's mood grew darker yet at that thought. _'Well I'll just stay away from Rei's temple today, she's probably busy purifying herself in front of that stupid fire anyways.'_

Serena kicked her heels on her bed in annoyance and winced at her various aches. Hands behind her head, she could feel the frustration at her klutziness settling into her bones. Why couldn't she be graceful and beautiful and at least good at one thing in her life? Amy was smart and going to be a doctor, Rei was fearless and nearly a priestess, Lita was strong and could cook like a dream. Serena knew she wasn't any of those things. Wasn't there something, _anything, _that _only_ she could do well? Serena racked her brains, and could only remember falling on her face a lot. That was nothing to be proud of. She lay still a moment longer on the bed before throwing herself to her feet and stomping around her room in frustration. In front of the mirror, she stopped and did her best Sailor Moon pose -- but ruined it by scowling at her reflection and sticking her tongue out. 

"Ack, I've just got to get out of this house before I go batty!" she declared to herself. "I know, I'll go hang out at the mall and then the arcade - that always makes me feel better. Maybe I can find Molly or somebody to be with. And there's always ice-cream. . ." 

With that chirpy thought buzzing through her head, Serena tripped down the stairs with more enthusiasm, and stopping at the kitchen, told her mom about her plan to go out. Serena was sneakily grateful that Luna was nowhere in sight; she didn't want to have to listen to any lectures about her duty as a sailor senshi. 

"Well don't spend ALL your money at the arcade dear," her mom said with a distracted look on her face. She was trying to get Serena's little brother to stand still long enough to measure him for some new clothes. Serena stuck her tongue out at him and skipped out the door. 

The brief surge of enthusiasm soon faded and her normal sprightly step became a trudge as she neared the mall. Eyes cast down, she hardly noticed the people she bumped into with a rote apology and the other near collisions. Her thoughts started to run around in the same circles it always did, the repetition worn into her mind like the indentation in her bed she fell into every night. _'I just don't understand Tuxedo Kamen at all anymore . . . he loves me, I _know_ he does . . but he's acting so cold lately, so focused on the nijizuishou. Maybe . . . maybe I've done something to make him not love me anymore . . . I'm always dropping things and making a fool out of myself - and he's always so strong and in control. He must think I'm totally useless, he's always having to rescue me . . .'_ Serena's melodramatic instincts were kicking in, and a little tear even escaped from one eye. She sobbed theatrically for effect, and liking the miserable sound it made, sobbed again a little louder. 

Revelling a little in the misery, Serena was trying to decipher her confused feelings for Tuxedo Kamen (a new venture for her it must be said), when an insidious thought crept into the litany of the failures she was reciting to herself. _'Maybe. . . maybe he _doesn't_ love me . . .maybe I've just been pretending so hard that he did . . .that I never noticed that he really doesn't care about me. I mean, just 'cause he always saves me doesn't _really_ mean anything does it?'_ The horror of this fresh new idea instantly brought real tears to Serena's eyes and her step faltered on the street. 

Blinking, she looked up just in time to avoid an embrace with a light pole. Stepping carefully around it, through a mist of water she saw an all too familiar head of hair attached to a face she'd recognize if she was blind. _'O god o god o god, not him, not NOW!'_ Aware that once again she was looking less than her best, with (maybe) red eyes and (probably) puffy cheeks and litle fat teardrops dripping from her nose, Serena looked frantically for escape on the busy street. She turned abruptly to stare into the closest window, watching the mop of hair from the corner of her eye and pleading to herself _ 'I'm not here, I'm not here . . . I'm invisible, you don't see me . . . if you don't see me today, I _promise_ I'll be nice to you tomorrow, I won't say a single nasty thing about you the whole day . . .'_ The chant went through her mind over and over, and the black hair passed behind her without seeming to slow. Serena breathed a sigh of relief, and wiping her eyes with her hands, hurriedly stepped into the street and walked into someone hard, causing the other woman to drop her packages.  
  


* * *

Darien wandered down the street, hands in his pockets and enjoying the day off with nothing to study for and for once, able to leave the consuming thoughts of the nijizuishou behind, if only for a few hours. Up ahead, almost like fate was conspiring to ruin this moment of peace for him, he spotted that unique head of hair that could only belong to one person. _'O wonderful'_ Darien thought to himself, _'I wonder what she's going to throw at me _this_ time. I'm tired of getting hit with shoes . . ._' But as he got closer, he saw that she was staring intently in a store window, face averted from him. Darien's sharp gaze saw the window contained calculators and computer gadgets, things he privately wondered if Serena could have found the on switch for. Then with a mental shrug he passed by briskly, determined to ignore her if she hadn't seen him. As he passed behind her, a faint feeling of alarm tickled along his nerves. He hesitated, then continued. It felt as if his entire body had vibrated to something unseen at the moment he passed Serena. He shook his head to clear it, and walked more briskly away, determined not to listen to that queer feeling. A few more steps and he heard the familiar sound of colliding bodies and Serena's breathless voice squeaking in alarm. With a sigh, he turned back.  
  


* * *

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it! . . . let me help you . ." Serena babbled as she knelt and started scrambling among the packages. With a sinking heart and a feeling of inevitability, she felt a large presence over her shoulder and Darien's warm, cutting voice saying, "Can't walk and breathe at the same time, meatball head?" 

Mumbling, Serena kept her face averted as she let Darien help her with the boxes. With a last muttered apology, Serena let the unknown woman continue, which left her strangely alone on the busy street with Darien. 

"Uh, thanks, but I gotta go now . . . see you later . . ." Serena made a dash for safety, but Darien's strong hand caught her wrist and pulled her back. 

"What's the hurry, that looked like a pretty hard hit . . did you hurt yourself?" 

"Uh yeah, a little, I can feel it." Serena sniffed loudly, realizing now she had a way to explain her tears. She pasted on a bright smile and started to edge past Darien. "Um, thanks again, but I really do gotta go now . . ." Vainly she tugged on her wrist which Darien still held in his strong fingers. Darien was staring at her face quizzically, so she pulled harder and only succeeded in making him pull her closer in a reflexive action. Jostled by the crowd, Darien muttered something crossly under his breath and pulled her into a niche in the wall between stores. A callous hand lifted her chin higher and exposed her bright eyes and flushed cheeks to his gaze. Serena closed her eyes and gulped, waiting for the cutting remarks she knew were coming her way. She just didn't have the strength to fight back today. A nasty little voice in her head whispered that everything Darien would probably say was no doubt true and that she deserved it, look how she'd nearly mowed down that unsuspecting lady! Only a dreamer like her could have thought that there was love in the gaze of Tuxedo Kamen for a clumsy girl like her. Miserable, Serena didn't even notice two more hot tears trickling down her cheeks as she waited for the axe to fall. 

Darien was astonished at the abject misery on her face, and then truly concerned. Serena had always seemed so indomitable, acting like nothing could affect her deeply or for long. Yet there was no mistaking the true unhappiness on her face, raised unwillingly for his inspection. Slow tears continued to seep down from under her long lashes; her tight face transmitted how tense she held herself. Darien was at a complete loss; he was used to having to duck flying objects around her and had no idea how to console her without looking like a fool. But as he stood there uncertainly, wondering if cutting and running was an option, a protectiveness welled up out of nowhere, and a formless anger at whatever had made her, of all people, cry. A detached voice inside whispered at him that it had to be a boy, that young girls only cried over boys. He felt an odd, disjointed jealousy over her tears, that she should cry over anything. Darien tried not to examine that emotion too closely, not sure he wanted to know the reason for it. Mutely he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs, vainly trying to erase the tears from her hot face. 

Serena still hadn't heard any of the cruel things that Darien liked to say to her, so she cautiously opened one eye to see what the delay was. There was an arrested, undecipherable expression on his face, one that she'd never seen before. The warmth of his hands on her face made her shiver, a curious reaction. Unconsciously she started to relax as the concern in his eyes transmitted itself to her, although the puzzling other expression was making her uneasy. Uncomfortable now with the way he was staring at her, she stepped back as far as she could in the tiny alcove, yanking her arms around herself and scowling fiercely. Blinking to clear her eyes, she said sharply (if a little soggily), "Don't stare at me like that, I'm alright." Turning her head to look at the street, she assumed a nonchalant pose, trying to surruptiously remove the tears from her face. Peeking sideways, she saw the curious expression on Darien's face slip off, to be replaced by something somewhere between amusement and annoyance. Amusement seemed to win, and that familiar quirky grin appeared on his lips. Had Serena been looking more closely, she might have seen that the arrested expression was still in his eyes, but she had already turned back to the passing crowd. 

"Look, I'm sorry I went all to pieces like that . . . I'm okay, really," she declared firmly, the effect only slightly spoiled as she sniffled at the end. "I'm on my way to the mall to do some shopping so I'll just be going now . . . " Studiously ignoring him, she stepped onto the street (carefully this time) and started to march firmly away, though unfortunately in entirely the wrong direction (a fact not lost on Darien). 

She was a half a block down the street before she felt his mocking presence over her shoulder, moving along with her. Then an oh-so-casual arm was draped over her shoulders and he said in his drawling, smoky voice, "Well how about I go with you then? I'm at a loose end today and you look like you could use some company." Serena looked at him dubiously, distrusting the casualness of his tone. She caught another glimpse of that strange expression before he hid it behind a grin at her. A funny feeling in the middle of her chest held her mute, and she nodded hesitantly at him. His grin broadened and he squeezed her shoulders gently, mildly remarking, "Just don't hit me with anything today. I'm trying to relax." 

Serena flushed, but smiled up at his grin. "I'll try but I never mean to hit anybody . . . I just can't seem to help it! I guess I'm just clumsy." She started to feel depressed again about that, but Darien moved her in more comfortably into his side and she forgot how bad she felt. Darien wondered at how well she fit under his arm, an interesting sensation. "Oh you're not that klutzy," he said airily, "you're just a little . . .ah . . . exuberant?" 

"Exuberant?" Serena repeated, rolling the word around. "That sounds like something fattening to eat - ' I'll have a coke and two exuberants please' " she quipped. She was rewarded with a chuckle from those quirky lips. 

"Ok, ok, I've never known you not to be hungry. Let's start with a few 'exuberants' to settle you in for my relaxing day."  
  


* * *

The next few hours were magical for Serena. She didn't step on Darien once, didn't drop anything and only said a couple of embarrassing things. After the 'exuberants' which tasted more like poppy seed cake than anything else, they wandered aimlessly through town, staring in windows and arguing amicably over the relative merits of felt pens versus ballpoints, flannel pyjamas for bedtime (Serena was for, Darien against though he wouldn't tell her why), and the proper colour for taxi cabs (Serena wanted orange ones so they'd look like little flying pumpkins, a thought that amused her endlessly). She forgot how unhappy she'd been over Tuxedo Kamen's apparent change of heart - truthfully, she forgot about him at all. She surprised that odd look on Darien's face a few more times, but soon he started acting more and more like a tolerant older brother, a far cry from the acid wit she remembered. Serena started to sparkle under his laughing gaze and warm quips. If asked, she couldn't have named a happier day. They fed the ducks in a pond they passed, talked to some kids on a corner playing games, even stopped at an arcade to play some games of their own. 

Darien watched bemusedly as the haunted expression left Serena's eyes and she began to brighten like a flower in sunshine, even skipping and pressing her face against particularily interesting windows. He'd had to pull her away physically from the candy shop where they'd been making fudge for everyone to watch. Most of him was reacting to Serena, talking and joking and keeping her distracted, but the core of him was turning over a new puzzle in his mental hands. 

It was a silvery, glittering thing, this puzzle, and he knew if he could just figure out the right combination between the spikey points that would open it, something he needed to know would become clear to him. The key was somewhere in Serena's smile and laughter, and he did his best to provoke it in her, turning the compelling puzzle over and over again in his mind's eye. 

Throughout that wonderful afternoon that Serena would never forget, she grew accustomed to Darien's arm on her shoulders, the grip of his fingers on her waist, even the teasing tugs he gave her hair. Not once did he call her meatball head or mention her tears when he'd met her. She began to miss it when he wasn't touching her, and she knew she was starting to stand closer to him all the time, inviting those absent touches and almost caresses. Serena discovered she could bring laughter to his eyes when she ate ice cream and that he was ticklish if she snuck up on him. She hugged these discoveries to her heart of hearts like presents to herself. She babbled incessantly with happiness and never noticed the look in his eyes that came and went like moon phases. 

As they walked, Serena spotted another patch of greenery in the city and started tugging on Darien's arm. "Maybe they'll have more ducks for us to feed . . . maybe even baby ones!" Serena squeaked breathlessly. Darien let himself get pulled along a faster pace, marvelling at her boundless enthusiasm. His feet, at least, were starting to get tired. A closer inspection of the upcoming park for benches to sit on gave him a wicked thought, and with the devil in his eyes he started to run in earnest, passing the startled Serena in a few short paces. She struggled to catch him, her long gorgeous hair flapping madly with the effort. Darien laughed and turning quickly, scooped the breathless girl into his arms and dashed for the little fountain in the middle of the park. Serena squealed impressively and grabbed him around the neck as he bounced along. Running up to the water, he held her threateningly over it, the cool spray misting them both as the breeze came and went. Serena's eyes went round and frantic and she tried to climb up on his shoulders but Darien's grip was strong. 

"O please o please, o please, don't drop me, I'll be good!" she wailed, half laughing and half alarmed. 

"A very good girl? No more flying shoes, no stepping on my feet?" Darien teased. 

"O I promise, I'll be really careful . . ." Serena held tighter to Darien as he shifted his grip. Startled, she suddenly realized in her precarious position how close she really was to him, his warmth and scent impacting on her nostrils, her face only inches from his. Gulping, she flushed and froze, trying to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach that was starting to make her quiver, hoping he wouldn't notice. 

Darien laughed down at Serena, long lashes misted with water, and surprised an expression of _awareness_ there, fascinating and totally unexpected. Mutely, he watched her face flicker with her transparent emotions, panic and tension mingling into a heady combination that called forth an answering response in him. She started visibly trembling under his gaze and her wide eyes reflected his image. He felt the smile slip off his face and that strange feeling he'd had all afternoon began to transmute into a desire he didn't want to ignore. Darien grew still and quiet, focusing on Serena's face and the light growing in her eyes. 

For herself, Serena knew she'd never felt even a little bit like this before with any boy that she'd liked, scared and excited and strange all over. Darien's eyes had darkened as he looked at her, and she felt mesmerized by what she saw flickering in the depths there. Unconsciously she licked her lips, a nervous reaction - and his eyes started to burn with something that both frightened and confused her with its intensity. Breathing deeply as if in a race, Darien lowered Serena's legs to the ground, and a pang of loss went through her. Serena discovered that her knees were shaking so much she couldn't stand, alternating hot and cold flushes were racking her body. She felt like she was drowning in a tidal wave, and clutched convulsively at Darien when he finally released her. 

Darien knew the feelings rushing through his veins - he'd been through cases of infatuation before and knew how overwhelming physical desire could seem - but he too felt as if he was drowning in something he didn't understand at all. Previous desires had been like warm summer days compared to the raging storm he felt now - and with Serena of all people! - a girl he wasn't even sure he liked that much! Darien felt himself shaking inside as he pulled her unresisting, innocent body closer to his, so they stood joined as close as he could get her, legs interlocked, hip to hip with her face nestled into his shoulder within his imprisoning arms. A powerful surge ripped through Darien as he cradled her, something wild and sweet and out of control - and somehow familiar. He tilted his head to kiss her, a small voice whispering nearly unheard under his overwhelming desire . ._'o be careful, be gentle, don't scare her now . . . .'_

Serena's eyes fluttered closed instinctively as Darien leaned in, and his first kisses reminded her of butterflies, light and quivering. He barely brushed her mouth again and again, teasing her lips until they felt tight and swollen. She held as still as she could, afraid that to move would make him stop. She trembled with the fragile feeling, so achingly pure for her. 

Slowly Darien pulled away from her sweet intoxicating lips and blinked carefully, trying mightily to stop before things went too far, knowing that it might already be too late. Serena was immoveable and nearly unbreathing in his arms, face flushed and her eyes fluttering open with that unnameable something in her eyes that he felt in himself. Darien groaned nearly inaudibly as at that look he felt himself losing his grip of control. He pulled her in tighter, lifting her on her toes so that she had to balance against him and this time kissed her with the full power of his desire. 

He overwhelmed her, and she didn't think, didn't want, to protest. She wrapped herself against him as he ravished her tongue over and over again, his now demanding kisses making her feel as if she was filled with honey, warm and golden for him to taste at will. She felt as if he was going to consume her in flames, and she opened herself unthinkingly to his wordless demands. Dimly she heard herself making small sounds of pleasure but totally unable to stop. She couldn't get close enough to him. An impatient hand threaded itself into her hair at the base of her neck and his kisses moderated into something slightly less bruising, longer and sweeter. Unconsciously she had wormed her hands under his jacket, his back warm and taut under her sensitive fingertips. Serena fell into the rhythm of his kisses and tentatively began to respond, no longer quite the naive girl she had been only minutes before. Darien groaned in appreciation as she started to twist in his arms, pressing herself against him, her small tongue licking his lips, pearl teeth nipping at his throat and jaw, her trembling limbs betraying the state of her desire. 

Darien let himself become bolder as Serena encouraged his advances, his hands running over her curves, lightly cupping her breasts through the thin fabric, the hard nipples thrusting against his palm as he lingered over them. Her tongue plunged into his mouth demandingly and he felt himself growing harder than he ever thought possible. Her soft belly curved against his erection and he felt as if he was going to burst if he didn't find release soon. An image of Serena naked underneath him in his bed, making those little noises in earnest flashed through his mind - Darien groaned loudly at the eroticism he felt. It was the sound of his own voice, raw with need that shocked him back to a moment of crystal clarity of what he was doing - namely driving himself crazy with lust over a girl of fifteen. Somehow, he dragged his lips away from hers, and pushed her to arms length, breathing roughly and trying to get himself under some semblance of control so he could apologize. 

Serena's wasn't sure what she'd done wrong - they'd been kissing and she had felt like a small nova exploding - and then he'd just pushed her away like he felt nothing at all. Desire still trembled through her, but started to mix with shame and embarrassment at her clumsiness in returning his kisses. She must have done it all wrong and made him regret he'd started to. Serena's vision started to blur a little as her body reacted to the emotional overload. Darien was studiously staring over the top of her head, his face as blank as stone. Serena stared at him fiercely, blinking away the incipent tears, silently urging him to say something, _anything_, to tell her what she'd done wrong so she wouldn't do it again. She ached to kiss him again. 

When Darien finally lowered his gaze to her, his eyes and voice were carefully cool as he said, "Uh, sorry Serena, I don't know what I was thinking. Please. . .forgive me?" 

Serena stared up at him in shock before managing to say, "What?" Serena stared into his neutral expression that showed nothing more than boredom and something seemed to break inside her, she almost heard it. "Oh. Oh! Uh, that's ok Darien, , it's no big deal. I know I'm not your kind of girl anyways." Serena was perversely proud of herself that her voice wavered only a little bit . She risked another look into those blank eyes and turned abruptly away before her expression could crumble against the indifference she saw there. Stepping carefully, she moved away from him, Darien making no move to stop her. Hugging herself tightly, she realized with a moment of precognition that she might never recover from this rejection. She had fought and schemed and hated Darien for so long that she had never realized until this moment how important he really was to her. She was too young, too clumsy, too naive for him she knew, but for that moment in his arms, it hadn't seemed to matter. Serena felt an overwhelming desire to run far away and curl up like a wounded animal over this hurt. She knew she had to get away now before she threw herself at him, embarrassing them both, saying things that he didn't want to hear from her. Serena knew to how protect herself - she put on an unconcerned expression, fiercely pretending that that last couple of minutes hadn't happened, that he hadn't kissed her and changed her life. Breezily, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, and started to walk away, striving for her normal lightness. "Well, thanks for this afternoon, but you've probably got better things to do now - I can see myself home. Bye." Holding herself, she tried not to look like she was running - didn't want to let him know how much she hurt. 

Darien watched her walk away, step bright and golden head defiantly high. He cursed himself inwardly for several kinds of fools but remained where he was. His fists clenched at his sides, his body still insisting it needed her, his mind holding tight to a lock of control he would not, _would not,_ release. Her goodbye had sounded so heartbreakingly final. He knew he'd hurt her, god, he'd be a real idiot if he hadn't realized, but he also knew that she'd thank him later for stopping. He chuckled painfully to himself, _'. . . and she thought that she wasn't his kind of girl.'_ His aching body was proving her wrong right now, demanding hysterically that he run after her and beg for her kisses again. His brain kept teasing him, trying to insert erotic pictures of Serena in slinky lingerie, even the damned flannel pyjamas she'd insisted she slept in. Even a picture of her in flannel, fresh and scrubbed for bed was sexy. Darien turned abruptly and scooped water from the fountain, scrubbing his face hard with the cool water. He had sinking feeling that he wasn't going to recover any time soon from this frustration - avoidance seemed like the prudent course. If he was careful, he wouldn't have to see her for weeks - maybe his errant lust would have calmed by then and found a more appropriate target. 

Sitting cautiously on the fountain edge, he looked longingly after her now that he was sure she was too far away and his expression was both taut and painful. Darien looked up sharply as a shadow fell across his eyes and an old man stopped in front of him, the face obscured by the mid-afternoon sun behind him. Shading his eyes against the glare Darien said politely, "Can I help you with something, grandfather?" 

The old man shook his head and replied, "No actually, though I might be able to help you with something. I was sitting on that bench over there, and couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the young lady currently heading in the opposite direction. I wish to tell you that I, at least, believe that you are making the biggest mistake anyone can make. I did not wish to leave you sitting here without pointing it out to you." The old man's voice was soft with age, but firm in intent. 

"Grandfather, it's really none of your business what . . ." Darien started to say but was interrupted by that quiet, insistent voice. 

"Don't be a fool young man. And you are young, no matter how old you feel you are to be deciding her life. I doubt you could see her face with the stones in your eyes, but my eyes, while no longer young, are as sharp as need be to see a heart breaking. She is young, and beautiful, and very much in love with you. And I do not think you are so indifferent to her as you are sitting there rather carefully." The old man's voice held a hint of amused laughter at Darien's rather obvious predicament. Darien flushed angrily and replied. 

"Old man, she is very young . . ." 

"And you are so ancient I see . . ." 

".. _very_ young, and easily swayed. I will not take advantage of that innocence! She will be glad tomorrow for my control - god knows she was like flame in my arms, but you tell me old man - how could I face her when I had taken that innocence away?" Darien's face was twisted with his emotions, his body tense with anger at trying to justify his actions. 

The old man hesitated a moment, the glow of the sun's corona outlining the shadow of his head. "I am old I admit, and perhaps not as clear sighted as the young. But I tell you this, young man with honor - _would you have her turn to flame in any other's arms?_ Love is sometimes a once in a lifetime thing - don't throw the love of that young lady away simply because she is young. Everyone grows up and you may never have this chance again. I tell you, I heard her heart breaking . . . mend it before the pieces are shattered beyond repair." And with this, the old man nodded quietly at Darien and started to move slowly away, his cane making soft sounds in the grass. 

Darien sat on the cool stone, a stillness spreading within him. He heard the laughing of the water behind him, the sound of traffic and people in the city beyond, the whistling sound of a jet high above. He let his awareness sink into calm, the beat of his heart echoing the sound of water, clear as the truth and pain in the old man's voice. An image of Serena, she of the laughing eyes and bright heart, being caressed in the arms of another rose before his eyes. The image held a long moment before his inner eye, taunting him into bright , unreasoning jealousy. His fingers flexed against the fountain edge, hard enough that he could feel the roughness of the stone grate against his flesh. His pride and his reason screamed that she was much too young, that his thoughts should be taken up by larger concerns than the feelings of a schoolgirl, no matter how attractive. She was a distraction he could ill afford right now. And yet . . . 

Darien struggled with his conscience. He knew if he was with her again, he would have to, would _need_ to touch her. Darien realized he had no illusions about this at least; if he and Serena were near each other, he would press his attentions upon her -- and he was very afraid she would not refuse. She had filled his arms so perfectly, the clumsy unsure girl transformed into a mature woman, filled with a passion that seemed as great as his own. He dared to hope that desire was for him alone. And yet, she was really a child, and totally unaware of what a physical relationship would mean. Darien grinned wryly at himself; like he'd have any better handle on it. He had a sneaking suspicion that Serena would take over his life if he let her. His common sense said to avoid her, she was a complication he didn't need right now; the nijizuishou were his true goal. 

Then the voice of his desire spoke from his belly, and it reminded him of her sweet caresses and hungry response to his kisses. She might be naive, his desire argued, but she was more than eager to learn. Even now, his body was reacting still to her, making it hard to concentrate through the random trembling of his limbs. His body craved her with a power that both amazed and frankly terrified him. He could feel that sleep would be long coming tonight, and probably for many nights to come. And he knew it would be so easy to let that desire cloud his judgement, seduce him into thinking he could control the complications, the problems he knew would arise. And beyond the pedestrian problems, what would happen when he needed to leave her, when the summoning came that called him into danger? Breathing deeply, he held himself as wide open as he could, trying to see to the bottom of his soul for what the right course of action was - and not flinching, in the depths of his heart he saw an image of Serena laughing with love in her eyes. Shaken, Darien closed his eyes and lifted his face to the warmth of the sunshine - knowing that if he ignored that image of love, he might spend the rest of his life trying to recapture it. And Darien felt his love for a small, golden haired girl slip into his heart like sunshine lighting the depths of water. His eyes opened and had anyone been watching, his gaze was as clear and and as fathomless as the sea. 

She was long gone he knew, and who knew what route she might have chosen to get home by - if she was even going home at all a panicked voice inside him stated. He insisted on calm inside himself, and stilled all voices that urged him to run in all directions at once. If anything, Serena was predictable. If she said she was going home, then that is what she would do - she never lied. But she had been moving swiftly in her need to get away and so had a large head start at this point - he had to get to her before she walked in her front door. He knew that if she was a whole night thinking he didn't love her, didn't need her - he might never get the chance to prove it to her. He didn't think he had enough time to get to her house before she did - at least, not on the pedestrian feet of Darien. 

A quick look proved his relative privacy at that moment and with a quick motion, the image of Darien blurred and Tuxedo Kamen stood in his place quietly, mist covering his cloak. And the speed of Tuxedo Kamen had never been greater, or used for a more important purpose as he flew like the wind to catch a swiftly moving girl somewhere in the city below.  
  


* * *

He alit lightly half a block from Serena's house in a small stand of trees that seemed to litter the downtown core. Another quick check revealed the quiet street bathed in the hazy glow of the sun, the light reflecting from the windows of the houses. The form of Tuxedo Kamen blurred again, and Darien stood in the shadow of the trees, fingertips holding one red rose. He devoutly hoped that he had beaten her back, and that she wasn't already inside. With a nervous look at her house, Darien composed himself to wait under a tree, watching for an unmistakeable hairstyle to come into view. 

The shadows had gotten noticeably longer and Darien was starting to eye her front door, working up the courage to consider knocking on it, when he spotted her familiar form rounding the corner. He straightened against the tree where he'd been slumping, his hand spasming around the rose as a wave of confusion and excitement flooded through him. His heart started to pound madly in his ears, so loudly he couldn't hear anything else. She moved slowly down the street, head down and feet scuffling the pavement. Slowly she moved towards her house, finally stopping to stare at her front door. He saw her sigh inaudibly as she squared her shoulders, lifting her face with the bleakest expression Darien had ever seen. 

His heart throbbed painfully, and he forced himself away from the concealing trees. Silently he moved down the block to stand in front of her startled gaze. Carefully, watching the glow of the sun light her eyes, he reached out and proffered the rose. She held still a long moment, merely looking at the gift, and Darien felt his heart freeze to ice under that look. Then before his nerves could shatter, she tentatively reached out and gently plucked the flower from his fingers, lifting it to her lips and breathing in the delicate scent. Petals brushed her cheek and she lifted slow eyes to Darien, a wary hope warming the tight planes of her face. 

Darien knew his hands were shaking with relief as he reached out and brought her into his embrace, her arms warm and hesitant as they nestled against his chest, her head sinking slowly to rest on his shoulder again - a mimicry of her pose in the fountain mist. He saw the tracks of her tears before she lowered her head and his heart spasmed again before settling into a more normal beat. He held her quietly for long moments, revelling in the feelings of posessiveness and love, her clean scent rising around him. Shifting slightly, he slowly kissed the top of her head, nuzzling her hair and whispering nearly inaudible things to her, words he could never recall again but knew he meant deeply. His questing lips drifted downwards, kissing her temples and then her eyelids as she lifted her face once again to him. He tasted the salt on her cheeks and then the puffiness of her lips, already bruised from his kissing. He cupped her face in his hands, and proceeded to kiss every square inch of her face that he could reach, her lips parted with joy and her eyes full of life again. 

Darien felt his desire for the kitten in his arms start to rise, and firmly stepped on it before it could rule him again. Serena seemed to have other plans though, as she wound her fingers into his hair, pressing her lithe young body against his in some rather compromising positions. Darien half groaned, half chuckled as he grabbed her marauding fingers and firmly brought them to his lips, kissing each one individually. He saw the ghost of fear in Serena's eyes and knew he had to repair that damage before it broke her again. Darien released her tempting hands and deliberately reached behind and cupped her firm buttocks, lifting her against him so that she would have incontrovertible proof of his reaction. Her eyes widened even more, and she blushed fiercely at the insistent slow throbbing she felt between them, but her gaze never faltered. 

"You are driving me crazy girl, never doubt it." Darien growled mockingly, holding himself steady by force of will. Her mere presence was doing wicked things to his insides. She seemed aware of what he was struggling against, and a slow smile curved her lips, a mature understanding in that smile that could never have been there before today. He kissed her again, long and slow and as full of passion as he dared make it before releasing her slowly to the ground, his body already protesting the loss of her warmth. Darien stared into her eyes a long time, as the light faded around them. 

Serena felt as if she was going to burst with love, just explode all over the street. The image started to give her the hysterical giggles as the tension of the walk home released itself, and she firmly quashed it before she scared Darien half to death with it. Barely breathing, she watched the light change in his eyes, passion and relief and something unnameable mingling there, a combination she wasn't sure she understood but was happy to see. 

Finally Darien spoke again, his voice hinting at laughter as he glanced back at her house. "How about I come back tomorrow, before your father comes out here and shoots me with the shotgun I'm sure he's got someplace handy?" Mortified, Serena peeked over his shoulder at her house, and saw her father glaring at them from the living room window. Serena gulped and closed her eyes in panic as she frantically wondered what she was going to say to explain kissing a boy on the street for so long. Darien squeezed her hard and let her go, pulling one hand to his lips and kissing it firmly, his eyes under his lashes staring into hers with a possessiveness she felt in her bones. "Tomorrow?" he said again, one eyebrow quirking upwards. 

Serena swallowed and suddenly realized in the tenseness of his body that Darien was not as self assured as he seemed, that he waited for her answer with strained nerves. Serena felt as if she were floating in this new knowledge of power. Shyly she nodded and then turned, moved with a lighter step to her house, running the last few steps under the glaring eyes of her father. His glare switched to Darien still left standing on the street, and Darien stood his ground firmly, unwilling to turn away until Serena was gone from his gaze. Her father finally made some incomprehensible gesture and firmly shut the window curtains, leaving Darien alone now on a darker street, but with a light in his heart as he turned to walk home the long way.  
  


* * *

Serena awoke blankly, warm sun streaming over her face, the dead weight that was Luna sprawled over her legs. Thoughts and half-remembered dream images flickered like minnows in a shallow stream through her eyes. A faint frown crossed her brow . . . something about today . . . . stretching a little, trying not to wake up, her glance fell on the rose in the small vase, lonely amid the clutter of her desk. Her eyes widened in startlement and she blushed suddenly, although there was no one there to appreciate the beauty of her flushed cheeks. Burrowing into the warm covers, away from the strength of the sun, Serena went over all of yesterday, hesitantly touching the memory of it like a polished jewel in her mind. Darien's smile and the strength of his fingers. The sudden quirk of his lips when she did something to amuse him. The feel of his strong body moving under her hands. The way his hair shadowed his eyes. The sound of his voice - rough and dusty. Serena felt her limbs reacting, quivering, a warm honey-sweetness spreading from her belly over her body, making her feel excited and lazy at the same time. She hugged herself tightly, remembering that his final word had been 'tomorrow'. _o please, o please, o please god, i promise never to ask for anything again but don't let him forget to come today, or remember that i'm just someone who trips over his shoes, please let him want to kiss me again, i know i ask for a lot but please . . .'_. Serena's fervent little prayer was as true as she could make it - she felt that god really listened to prayers if you really meant them - and she really meant this one. Bright eyed and bushy-tailed, Serena padded to the bathroom for the most thorough grooming her hair had ever got.  
  


* * *

Darien awoke instantly, eyes flashing open in a heartbeat, dreams already banished. His body immediately protested about the lack of quality sleep the night before but Darien ignored it, thoughts turned already to the remembrance of the smell of Serena's hair. His body replied that his mind was right, Serena was a much better idea than sleep and started urging him to do something about it. Darien grinned wryly at himself and ignored that pleasant sensation as well. He stretched slowly, sheets rustling and sliding against his lean body, finally folding his hands under his head to stare blankly at the ceiling. Confusion was something he understood, having lived with it most of his life, but the problem of this overwhelming attraction to Serena threatened to dwarf all other concerns. Logically, his mind knew he was too old for her, at least right now, that a couple or three years of growing would make all the difference. She was only fifteen his intellect argued, and a fairly young fifteen at that. If he could wait, let her get some of that growing in - that would be the smart thing, even the right thing to do. 

Darien tried to picture her at eighteen, out of school. He tried to imagine how she would look, would act - older, more confident and mature, perhaps even graceful. Maybe. Personally, Darien couldn't imagine a Serena that _didn't_ trip over his shoes, although he knew she couldn't possibly be that klutzy all her life. Then he tried to imagine what he would say to that new Serena . . . 'Hi, remember me? You thought you loved me when you were fifteen - I turned you away then but I'm ready for us to be together now . . .'. Darien grimaced at the image in his mind and knew her response would most likely be, 'Darien who?'. And as smart or as right as it would be to give her the time to grow into herself, he knew that he couldn't be that patient - even the memory of her scent was driving his body crazy. And the coldly logical part of his mind inserted the thought that he might not even have that time at all . . .the nijizuishou might restore his lost memory, but he might just as equally be killed in the fight to retrieve them. The now might be all he had - all that _they_ might have. Chilled, Darien felt a whisper of pre-sentiment brush his soul and in that instant of foreknowledge, knew that this time, this _now_, was all that they would have, that he must grasp it with both hands and not let it go until the world tore it away from him, a stronger force than he could stand against. The consequences were for later - now was for living. 

Centered within himself now, Darien made his way to the bathroom get ready for the day - a gleam in his eyes and a golden melody threading through his heart.  
  


* * *

Serena tripped downstairs, hair and smile glowing, dress fluttering around her knees. She wore her best, a white waterfall of lace, soft and beautiful, an overtunic of forest green to compliment her hair and draped to show the snow-white lace to advantage. She knew she was as pretty as she could make herself - she hoped it was enough to keep Darien looking at her. She knew she was afraid, scared that today Darien would look at her and say she was too young yet, and that he had made a mistake the night before - that she should come back when she was more suitable, older and smarter and beautiful. And maybe even he would say not to come back at all. Serena had always believed that things would work out right if you just tried hard enough - but she knew Darien could break her heart and world with one look, one gesture - and she knew she was afraid. But against that fear she held tight to the memory of the light in his eyes and the way he had held her at the end, as if it broke his heart to let her go. She hoped she hadn't imagined that - that it would still be strong enough to hold him in the full light of day. 

As Serena breezed into the dining room for breakfast, her father looked up from behind his Sunday paper and noticed the dress, frowning at his glowing daughter. He opened his mouth to scold her (for what, being beautiful? his mind asked) but swiftly closed it again at the warning look in his wife's eyes. Father knew Serena was his baby girl, but his mind kept replaying the scene of his daughter last night kissing a boy - and kissing like she meant it too. He wished he had a chain somewhere around that he could tie her to her bed until she was forty. Unfortunately, his wife had had certain words with him last night about his parochial attitude, and with a resigned sigh and a sharp look to his wife he retreated behind his paper again. 

His wife smiled at his surrender of the battlefield, and turned her attention to Serena who had already sat down and started to eat. Glowing almost as brightly as her daughter, Mother saw with keen eyes how golden her daughter had made herself, cheeks flushed with scrubbing, hair like silk, the prettiest dress she owned. A sharp pain lodged near her heart at how grown-up Serena looked - notwithstanding the crescent bun she was stuffing into her face. Mother smiled, and passed Serena the fruit bowl. 

The phone rang sharply, and Serena's head jerked up from the food, her eyes suddenly panicky, and an apple bite stuck in her throat. She swallowed painfully, and the phone rang again. Mother got up from the table to answer it, and Serena sat there frozen, hoping it was him, and then confusingly hoping it wasn't. After an eternity of waiting, while eons passed and stars died, Mother called from the hallway: "Serena, it's for you!". 

Ignoring the look her father gave her, Serena bounced from the table into the hallway, screeching to a halt a few paces from the outstretched phone, staring at it like it was an alien monster that might bite her. Gingerly, she took it from her mother and held it to her ear. Breathing carefully, she said "Hello?". 

A cheerful voice rang down the line into her disappointed but somehow grateful ear and asked, "Hey Serena, it's Ami. Where were you yesterday? I was kind of expecting you to come to the temple - you didn't get into any trouble for being out so late on Friday night did you?" 

Serena sagged against the hall wall and turned her back on her mother, mumbling into the receiver, "Well no actually, I uh, _studied_ so hard with you guys Friday night that I needed a day off at the mall yesterday to make up for it . . .remember?" 

Ami's voice grinned down the line, "Oh right, right . . . well are you going to come over today then? I know that Rei had something in mind for all of us, and I think Lita is going to be bringing one of her lunches. We could all meet at Rei's place and maybe go study in the park . . . it's really beautiful out today." 

A Lita Lunch was not something she would normally be inclined to miss on, but Serena panicked at the thought of being with the other girls today. She just knew she couldn't tell Ami why she didn't want to go out with them. To say that she wanted to be with Darien would spoil something special, she just knew it - not to mention what Rei would say. Frantically she tried to think of an easy out, but all she could come up with was, "Uh, no thanks Ami, I'm uh . . . not really hungry and I think I'd rather just stay here . . . you guys have fun without me." Serena winced at the lame excuse but couldn't think of anything better to offer on the spur of the moment. 

There was a long pause at the other end as Ami absorbed the inadequate excuse, but being Ami, knew that Serena probably didn't want to talk about whatever it was that she didn't want to talk about. "Well, ok then, but we'll probably be at Gojorun Park later on if you want to come join us - alright?" 

"Sure thing Ami, if I feel up to it I'll drop by later or something . . .uh thanks, ok?" 

Ami's voice bubbled into Serena's ear, "You're welcome . . . .maybe see you later! Bye." 

"Bye Ami." Serena hung up the phone gently, and leaned against the wall for a moment, staring at the blank machine like it could give her the answers to the universe if she looked at it long enough. Then with a sigh, she heaved herself up and turned to walk back to the breakfast room. The phone rang again shrilly at her elbow, nearly scaring her out of her socks - Serena whirled and grabbed the receiver again, speaking sharply, "Hello?! " 

A familiar, smoky voice burned down the line into her ear, making her heart pound, "Hello. I'm looking for Serena Tsukino? I hope I have the right number. . ." 

Serena took a deep breath, and checking over her shoulder for clandestine listeners, dropped her voice as she replied, "Oh hi . . .um, this is Serena." Her voice came out breathlessly through the constriction in her throat and she winced at how dumb she sounded. Clutching the phone she waited for that voice to speak her name again. 

On the other end of the line, Darien took a deep breath before replying, "Oh, hi Serena." He rolled her name around his tongue a little, liking the sound of it. And then, o-so-casually, " Uh, you still into going out today? I was sort of thinking I could meet you at the gazebo in front of the art gallery - it's about halfway between here and there? I thought maybe you might like to hang out again today . . .?" 

Serena's heart was pounding and she almost didn't hear what he said. "I'd love to Darien, I really would. Uh, when do you want to meet me?" 

Darien's voice changed somehow, giving her little gooseshivers. "How about right now? I don't really want to wait - maybe I should come get you at your place instead?" 

Serena's mind flashed to the look on her father's face if Darien roared up on his motorcycle, and hastily assured him. "No, no, that's alright. I'll meet you at the gazebo in, uh, half an hour? Should I bring anything?" Serena wondered if maybe Darien would like a picnic with her since today was supposed to be so nice out. _'What do we have in the fridge for picnic makings?' _Serena tried to remember frantically if she'd eaten the last of the curry rice already. 

Darien's voice was husky as he said, "Just yourself. I'll take care of the rest. See you there, Serena. Bye." And then came the sound of the disconnection and she was left holding a dead phone to her ear, his voice still echoing softly through her mind. Carefully, she replaced the receiver to the cradle, a slow smile spreading across her face until she was fairly bouncing with suppressed excitement. Breakfast now forgotten, she wandered through the dining room in a daze, kissed her mom and muttered something about going out, then left the both of them staring at her retreating back as she skipped out the door. 

Father looked at Mother and manfully restrained himself from saying anything that might cause her to hit him. Then Father opened his inner eye a little wider, and realized that Mother was just as as radiant as his daughter, as beautiful as the day she had deigned to notice him - and he smiled and put down his paper.   
  


* * *

Serena fairly flew down the street toward the gallery, presenting a pretty sight to anyone who saw her. An old couple watched her pass and smiled at each other, pressing arms together. A pair of boys stopped their game to see her go by, nudging each other and snickering at their witty comments. Serena noticed nothing except the changing streets, the bulk of the art building finally looming at her from the corner. Sunlight streaming through her hair, she hurried to the gazebo and entered into its cool shade. Looking around, she didn't see Darien yet - indecisive, she stood near the center and watched the flow of people pass by the "window" openings. Nervously she tugged on her fingers, finally sitting on one of the benches at the side, dangling her feet, her hands clasping the bench. Watching her toes, she struggled to breathe slowly, to gain control of her emotions before they ran away with her all over again. _" Just calm down already, it's just going to be like yesterday . . . we can wander around and stuff, nothing major."_ Breathing deeply she tried not to remember kisses like fire and honey._ . . .It's just Darien for pity's sake! He's not that special. . ._. Serena didn't believe herself even for a minute, but tried anyways.The litany went around and around, and eventually her heart stopped pounding so hard, and she could hear the sounds of the city around her. 

Looking up, Serena lost that hard earned calm as she met the eyes of Darien as he entered under the shade of the gazebo roof. She stood uncertainly as he approached, afraid to move suddenly, feeling more than a little like a scared deer about to bolt. He moved as if in a dream, without haste, but without wasted motion either, crossing the space between them to stop within arms reach of her. Serena looked up with a dry mouth, and knew herself lost again. His eyes were somewhere between blue and gray, his gaze serious and intense, almost seeming to drink up her image to reflect it back at her. She tried to think of something to say, anything at all to break the tension inside her - but Serena, who was never at a loss for words, knew defeat. She was as motionless as a statue, as if struck dumb somehow, but knew she couldn't have moved to break that gaze if the roof had caught on fire. 

Darien stared down into the wide eyes locked to his - his mind filing away the obvious care she had taken to be beautiful to him, the way she was still a little flushed with hurrying to meet him - but those details were to be recalled later, memories to sustain him in a darker time. At that moment, all Darien could think of was how much he loved her. It gave him a queer thrill, somewhere between terror and elation, like the bottom of his world had fallen out and he was plunging into an abyss. This small girl, with eyes like the summer sky and hair like honey sunlight, wild and free and careless- his to hold and cherish, his to break and destroy. The intensity of his feelings shook his body like a tree in a high wind - he shivered and broke out of the spell of blue eyes, carefully stepping back a pace and clenching his fists in his pockets so that his desire to reach for her could not be too easily satisfied. 

Breathing deeply, as if he had been the one running, Darien tried to say casually, "Serena . . .uh, it's good to see you." Inwardly he winced at how trite he sounded, but knew he couldn't say the things in his heart here, in sunlight. The words engraved in silver on his soul should only be said by moonlight, with soft kisses and candles. Trying again, he said, "Uh, I thought maybe today you might want to see some of the places that I like to go - since yesterday got cut a little short." Darien tried to grin, striving mightily to keep his tone light, not willing to risk showing the intensity he felt - although he felt like he was drowning in it. Again striving for normalness, he moved a little farther away from her so that her warmth didn't feel like it was radiating through him, turning slightly to stare out into the square around them. 

Serena was piqued when Darien retreated from her, confused when he refused to look at her. His words said he was happy to see her, but his tone was so casual, so light, as if yesterday hadn't happened, hadn't meant anything. He might have been asking her if she had liked a certain book, or whether she thought it was going to rain. Serena's temper rose; she had lost sleep over him last night, had dressed as best she could for today, had _ run_ all the way here to meet him, and all he could say was, _'nice to see you'_?! 

Although she hadn't fully realized it yet, Serena was not quite the naive girl she had been yesterday morning. She drank in the sight of Darien standing there, and realized suddenly that the casualness masked something deeper, that his stance was off, his body tight with restraint. The nameless feeling that had existed in her since the moment of his kiss rose again inside her, knowing that somehow _she_ was the cause of his tenseness. Subtly she shifted closer to him, to be rewarded as he moved slightly back, almost as though they played the ribbon game, struggling to keep it taut between them. Serena's pique disappeared, melted into the rising emotions inside her. Realizing that she was still standing there like a fool, and that she still hadn't answered his almost question, she too tried for normalcy and said only slightly breathlessly, "I'd, um, like that. Where should we start?" 

He turned and rewarded her with that quirky smile. "How about we start at this art gallery? There are some paintings I think you might like, and it's a good place to begin." Turning, he retreated from the gazebo's intimacy with Serena following. Both of them stood carefully away from each other as they walked the square to the entrance. The gallery was cool after the burgeoning heat of the day and Serena reached up unconsciously to rub her arms as they entered. They wandered the halls, Darien pointing out some of his favorite pieces, Serena striving to remember what he said, storing the memory of his voice away in a special place now reserved for their time together. Musing, Serena wondered just what had happened between yesterday and today, that she should hang on his every word, to be so aware of how far away he stood from her. Yesterday, she could have sworn on a stack of bibles that she despised him more than anyone else she had ever known. Today she knew she would die if she was not near him. Serena had never felt so confused nor so happy in all her life. 

After the gallery, he took her to a store that sold pieces of crystal, tiny figurines of horses and dolphins, pyramids and linked hearts. Serena lost herself in the rainbows she saw, chattering like the young girl she was as she came across each new wonder. Privately, Darien felt she was as glittering as the glass she moved among. After the treasures of that place had been appreciated, he took her to a small bridge on a park path, where one could watch the koi surfacing, patterns swirling at their feet. Serena was rapt, even taking off her shoes to dangle her toes in the water, giggling at the nips of fish. Then it was to a small cafe on a nearby street, which sold the most tempting sushi and sashami. The day passed idly, Darien and Serena walking side by side, his voice saying casual words and hers replying - neither of them fooled by the apparent lightness of the conversation. The day lengthened to mid-afternoon and Serena felt as if she was being drawn closer and closer to Darien, although not once did he reach out to touch her as he had the day before. Always he kept that distance between them, Serena not confident enough to breach it, Darien too aware of the consequences to tempt it. 

Thoughout that afternoon, Darien knew he struggled against himself. She was so temptingly close, one step and he could encircle her with his arms. Just that one step, and he could be kissing those parted lips into the submission she had shown him yesterday. His body flushed both hot and cold, waves of desire and control rising and falling within him. Almost he reached for her - always he pulled back. The certainty of this morning, that his love for her was enough to stand against anything was fading, and beginning to seem more like the voice of his desire alone. He knew, as she did not, that danger called him, that death waited for him around the next corner, the next shadow - the powers he struggled against were not to be dismissed lightly. His foreboding of this morning still stood out sharply, an almost-certainty of doom waiting for him. His body urged him to grab life, to hold love, to deny his death-dream with everything he was. Yet the coldly rational part of his mind mercilessly played the image of Serena, alone and crying for him, and him unable to answer. What was the correct path? Darien prayed for guidance, afraid to let his feelings show, afraid not to. 

Serena knew something was wrong. Darien was tense, never quite relaxing, although he answered all her questions patiently and with a smile on his lips. The smile never reached his eyes however, and it seemed he brooded when he thought she wasn't looking. Serena felt as if she was walking on the edge of a cliff, always striving to keep from falling off. She began to feel awkward and unsure again, and she began to wonder if coming out had been such a good idea. Darien seemed so distant again, so cool and untouchable, as he had always been, as he had most definitely not been the day before. It was the mental image of a stone wall that gave Serena the clue - Darien had looked that way when he had shut her out, closed himself off. The insight made Serena watch Darien with alert eyes - and she started to see how often he began to reach for her - and how often he stopped himself. As they walked, not talking now, she slowly realized that Darien would do nothing, that somehow he was struggling against her. The memory of his kiss yesterday, hot and demanding, tempted her - she wanted that feeling again, of being out of control and lost. Serena realized it was up to her - that Darien would not, perhaps could not, kiss her again. And Serena knew she was nothing if not devious when it came to getting something she wanted. 

Looking around, she realized they were now walking down a fairly busy street .. and one that did not boast any parks or small places where she could get Darien alone to try and make him lose that cool demeanor. Serena was not confident enough to try anything in a public place where he could reject her with impunity. Frantically she started to rack her brains for somewhere private, where she could get him to go and try her wiles on him (giggling to herself at the thought of even having _wiles_ to try.) Serena ducked her head coyly as they walked by a furniture store with mattresses in the window, and the idea hit her like a bolt of lightning. Serena grinned devilishly, and then tried to assume an innocent expression as she upturned her pert face to his and said, "Darien-chan, you know, I haven't seen the one place that is really special to you. I'd really like to, please?" 

Darien looked down in puzzlement at Serena, noting the gremlins in her eyes, but totally at a loss as to what she meant. "Pardon? Sorrry Serena, where would you like to go?" 

Grinning beautifically, Serena boldly stated, "Well, your apartment of course, silly! That would be the one place in this whole city that is really you - I'd really like to see it. May we, please? I promise not to break anything . . ." Serena grabbed his arm and hugged it, striving for schoolgirl innocence and enthusiasm, willing him not to see her ulterior motive. 

Darien was thrown into a confused panic at her suggestion. His apartment? NOW? That was the one place he really wanted to avoid, being alone with her, a bedroom and privacy conveniently close by . . . and yet she was being so earnest, tugging on his arm slightly in her enthusiasm, wide eyes full of the plea she had voiced. Darien knew Serena . . . knew he was being manipulated somehow but unable to think coherently with his arm nestled against her chest. Darien closed his eyes briefly and swallowed, and realized fatalistically that Serena would pester him until he took her there - she was persistant to say the least. Alright, one quick tour of his place, and then hustle her straight back to her house before his control broke - he could manage that. 

Serena grinned happily as Darien nodded at her and began to walk quickly away, causing her to lose her grip on his arm. _I'll get you yet,_ she thought as she skipped up to him, falling in beside his long body again. _You aren't half so aloof as you seem and I'll prove it to you._ Serena contentedly bubbled beside him, sure of herself again and with her eyes fixed on the goal of making him lose that wall between them.   
  


* * *

All too soon, Darien reached the street he lived on, and he slowed his pace unconsciously, dreading the ordeal of sweet smelling Serena in his apartment, touching his things, learning things about him he rarely showed to anyone. It was with a feeling of fatalism that he mounted the front steps, Serena a half step behind, and unlocked the front door to the building. He chose the stairs, feeling he couldn't stand the intimacy of the elevator. Serena puffed along behind him, and he felt like a cad for making her walk up the steps. Uncharacteristically, she didn't complain and when he half-turned once to apologize, he surprised an expression of determination on her face that he devoutly did not wish to understand. They finally reached his apartment door, and Darien paused a moment before it, keys already in his hand and suddenly _aware_ that opening the door would change something. Serena made a sound of impatience at his elbow, shockingly near, and Darien realized with despair that his control was not what he hoped it would be, that if he didn't open the door _right now_, it would crack into pieces. Darien _focused_, and managed to get the key in the lock without undue fumbling. Opening the door, he stepped in, Serena at his heels. 

Serena was suddenly unsure again. She moved past Darien at the door to step hesitantly into his place, her gaze wandering over the books and low couches, the neatness of the place, small plants gracing the corners. Sunlight streamed in from the warm afternoon, heating the place to an almost uncomfortable level. Carefully she touched a book on a table, seeing the small arrangement of round stones in a clear dish of water next to it. Clasping her hands behind her back, she prowled around, feeling a little like an intruder in this place. His kitchen was small but tidy, the bathroom also small but with an abundance of fluffy towels. Serena imagined herself wrapped in one of those towels and blushed. Shyly she checked over her shoulder to see if Darien had noticed, but saw him standing at the door to the balcony, back to her as he opened it for fresh air. 

She stared at his lean back, strong shoulders flexing under his jacket and felt desire rising inside her again. Here in _his_ place, she felt suddenly confident again, aware, knowing that for her at least, there was no turning back from this moment. His bedroom was one of the doorways she hadn't entered yet - she hoped she would see it before she left here. Biting her lip, in the moment before he turned to face her again, Serena asked her impulsive heart to behave, to stop beating so fast over the sight of black hair and gray-blue eyes. 

Darien turned from the doorway, and saw Serena standing hesitantly at the edge of his living room, her face half-lit with the sunlight streaming from behind him. Her expression was still, her eyes clear and Darien wasn't sure he understood the expression in them. She was motionless, as Serena rarely was, almost a statue of herself, bronzed with light. Hesitantly Darien stepped back into the room, striving to see into her eyes without standing too close, trying to think of something innocuous to say. Whatever words he found dried in this throat as he got close enough to see the adoration and love, desire and _promise_ staring out at him from eyes blue as sky, as lapis lazuli. He was drowning again, and he started to shake his head in rejection, managing somehow to keep his arms firmly at his sides, fists starting to clench with the effort of _not_. 

Darien realized hazily that there had been no words between them from the moment they had stepped into his apartment, only this _awareness_ between them, what he had been trying to avoid all day suddenly as palpable as the warmth of the air around him. His thoughts flowed like a mazy river, stifled by the hot sunshine coating everything in his living room. Darien thought bemusedly that he was drowning in honey, sunlight reflecting through hair of the color of gold. He stared down at her again, realizing with despair that somehow he had moved too close to her again, close enough that he could touch her if he wanted. As if mindlinked to his thoughts, she swayed towards him, face upturned to his like a flower in sunlight. The certainty of this morning was gone -- all that he could think of was all the things he couldn't say to her, things she could never understand about him. Darien never knew where he got the strength from as he backed away slowly, one step, then two. 

Darien looked down desperately, trying to think of words to turn her away without wounding her too much - to say _why_ this was wrong. He looked up again pleadingly, and shook his head mutely, striving to make her understand without words, since words were so inadequate. He saw the desire and love falter at his refusal, the uncertainty grow in her eyes until they were eclipsed with the nearness of tears. She turned away slightly, arms unconsciously raised again to protect herself from the hurt he had again dealt her. Darien groaned softly to himself - this was all wrong, all wrong. He should be explaining why he was turning her away, not just standing here feeling like a heel for hurting her. Darien moistened his lips, praying desperately for the right words to come . . ."Serena, look, I'm really sorry but I'm just not . . . I just can't . . ." 

Serena felt like a fool. Here she had naively thought that all she had to do was get him alone and he would swoon at her feet. She had all but thrown herself at him, acting like a lovestruck kid and he was turning her down. She felt perilously close to tears and stared out the window blankly, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. He was saying something awkwardly, some excuse no doubt, that she couldn't hear anyway through the humiliation and pain. She cursed herself for an idiot, for thinking that such a wonderful person like Darien could possibly be interested in a girl like her, no matter how well he kissed her. Concentrating, she attempted to center herself again, and her stubborness rose to the surface. Darien was not going to walk away from this untouched - she knew that she affected him somehow - and if he was going to turn her down, she was going to damn well make sure he regretted it. 

Turning back to him abruptly, Serena brought his stumbling apology to a halt as she swiftly closed the small gap between them, determined expression painfully clear on her tiny face. Darien had time for one more pace backwards before she was buried into his body, arms wrapped around him tightly, face pressed to the side of his throat under his jaw, as high as she could reach. Her scent made his senses reel, his arms coming up automatically to hold her. Muffled into his throat, she said brokenly, "Maybe you don't want me, but I _do_ want you and you owe me _something_ before you just kick me out your door!" 

Darien felt poleaxed, arms full of Serena as he had tried not to think about all day. He felt her shaking with repressed tears, and he felt his barriers crumbling to the ground in the face of this new onslaught. He groaned, all remnant of control shattered now, and suddenly his arms were like steel vices, his head lowered to her hair as he surrendered completely to the feelings sweeping through him. Her admission of desire throbbed through him, his desire surging to answer it. He kissed her, deep and long and hard, knowing he was bruising her with his grip but totally unable to stop. Mindlessly he kissed her sweet lips again and again, eyes closed as he tasted her. He drank in her sighs, her almost cries, his arms shifting around her, now holding her hair, now wrapped tightly around her body, holding her prisoner to him. Darien felt like he was in the grip of a demon, one that commanded him both to hurt and to please her, a wildness in him that demanded that he protect her, that he destroy her. He lifted his head finally, dazed with desire, trembling with the need that raged through him now with no will to hold it back. 

Serena felt like a deer in the gaze of a tiger, trembling and afraid and wildly elated at the same time. This was not the response she had expected, but she revelled in this moment of power over him. His eyes were glazed, his body racked with tremors that revealed to her his consuming need, his mouth firm and teeth slightly bared. His eyes suddenly gleamed at her and she felt even her bones melt at the look in those eyes, her need leaping in answer to his. Whatever her eyes spoke to his must have been right, for he scooped her limp body into his arms, and strode quickly to the door she had not entered before, shouldering it aside brusquely to walk with quick strides to the bed she had dreamed about last night, laying them both upon it. His weight settled partially over her and he began to kiss her mindless again, the length of his body pressing her into the bed, one leg thrust intimately between hers. 

Serena did her best to respond to him, knowing that if this was what she wanted, that she must drive him past the edge of his reason that would tell him to stop. Before her mind stopped thinking at all, she was dimly amazed at the phenomenal control he must have had to have held this rage of desire in check. And then she was lost with him, her hands grasping his shoulders, his waist, helping him divest himself of his constricting jacket, her nails scratching at him through the thin shirt. His kisses became more urgent, frantic almost, his hands running down her body, over now bared leg and thigh, back to twine into her hair. She somehow managed to kick off both shoes and socks, helping him remove the pesky buttons of his shirt so she could reach the smoothness of his skin. She was frantic to touch him, actually tearing the last two buttons off when she couldn't get her shaking fingers around them. Her hands stroked his chest, the hard column of his neck, tightened on the jutting muscles of his shoulders, fingers curling into his hair. 

His scent was like cinnamon and smoke, his kisses like fire. His hands became more insistent upon her, sliding the material from one shoulder to kiss the hollow underneath it. Strong fingers brushed and caressed her breasts and nipples through the fabric, causing her to cry out at the exquisite sensations. Serena writhed underneath him, unknowingly bringing him closer and closer to his own moment of release, her cries ringing in his ears like softest bells. Fumbling he reached underneath her, struggling with the closure he couldn't see. Sensing what he wanted, she clasped her arms around his neck, drawing herself partially off the bed so he could manipulate the little buttons, finally baring her breasts, lace and forest green falling to her waist as he held her squirming body still for his inspection. 

Her nipples were pink and engorged, thrusting from pert breasts, a flush of shyness staining her skin at his gaze. She trembled under him, eyes wide and anxious as he stooped slowly, lowering his arms on either side of her to suckle one nipple, then the other, as slowly as he could. His hardness throbbed painfully at the taste of her, the slight salt in the valley between her breasts there for the licking, nuzzling her carefully. His tongue circled her aureole, his teeth nipped her, and she felt as if she was dying of the shock. Dimly she was aware of the choked sounds she was making, but not caring to stop. His lips and hands were maddeningly slow, making her bite her lips in almost agony, sensation thrilling along her nerves like electric shock, like flame. 

Serena began grasping his hair, trying to guide his mouth to where she needed it. Her small hands began to beat on his shoulders, she pleaded with him mindlessly, not knowing what it was she needed, her body starting to thrash from side to side. His nips became longer bites, his hands holding her breasts harder now, suckling her painfully on her enlarged nipples, growling a little as he moved from one to the other, faster and faster. Her cries grew more insistent and frantic, and her body began to tremble, then spasm uncontrollably. Darien swiftly grasped the hair at the base of her neck, forcing her head to stillness as he plunged his tongue deep into her mouth, forcing her to respond. His other hand leaped between her bucking legs to apply a shocking pressure to her mound, one finger touching her _there_ so intimately that she screamed into his kiss, arching wildly as orgasm ripped through her. Serena felt as if her back was breaking, so hard did she thrust against his invading fingers, pain and pleasure minglingly headily through her veins. She thrust herself against him again and again, his tongue matching hers, his fingers stroking and holding her there, where no one had touched her before. Finally exhausted with the force of her body, Serena sank back to the pillows, Darien's kiss still holding hers, hand now soft upon her, his kiss hardly more than a breath against her lips. Her eyes half-closed and panting, Serena surrendered to him, her love. 

Drowsily awake, she kissed him softly, licking his lips and cheeks, eyes closed as she nuzzled against him, her body lax and replete. Her hands rose to stroke his arms, his shoulders, warm skin like velvet over steel to her touch. His hand caressed between her legs, causing shocks of electrictiy to fire through her body at random intervals. He leaned over her to kiss her bared breasts again, softly this time, licking gently. Her hands wound themselves into his hair and she gazed through slitted eyes at his head between her breasts, the sight so powerfully arousing that she felt in herself a pang of incredible sweetness. Tugging on his hair, she urged him to rise up to her again so she could kiss him fully, feeling his lean long body, uncontroverible proof of his desire once again thrusting against her. His sex was resting against her intimately, only the thin cotton of her panties and the slightly heavier material of his jeans keeping them apart. Serena instinctively raised her legs, wrapping them around his to draw him tighter to her, realizing as she did so that he was perilously close to his own edge of control. His breathing was shallow, the skin of his face drawn and taut as he struggled to remain still against her. Serena felt like the queen of the world at that moment, to know that she, _she_ affected him like this, that her kisses drove him crazy. 

With a calculation that would have been foreign to her an hour ago, she began to move underneath him, her long legs holding him steady as she teased him, taunted him, arched against him again and again. He rested on his elbows, eyes closed and face pressed into the hollow of her neck, letting her torment his body, testing the limits of his desire. Her breathing grew ragged underneath him as she yielded to her own mounting need again, her nails scratching his back, small teeth grazing his shoulder and neck. She began to softly cry under him again, and Darien knew that if he didn't stop now, didn't ask now, the words would be forever unsaid. 

Raising himself carefully away from her, he hardened his heart against her wounded cries and tried to clear his mind of the haze of desire, to focus on Serena, to ask her the thing he needed to know. Her small hands reached up to touch his face, his eyes, and he pressed soft kisses into her palm as he waited for his blood to stop pounding so hard. Sneakily, her hand reached between them to grab his hardness and squeeze knowingly, both shocking and delighting him with her boldness. Grinning, he grabbed the offending hand between them, leaning down to kiss her again. She wiggled delightfully, and Darien knew he had a real problem. Groaning, he did the only thing he could think of to do - he levered himself off her completely, rising to stand beside the bed to look down at her. She made a pretty sight, flushed skin and blonde hair against the darkness of his covers, limbs still sprawled in the aftermath of love. Reaching down he grabbed her hands, pulling her to stand beside him, balancing her unsteady body against his until she found her feet. He refused to meet her gaze, not willing to lose control again until some things had been said. Carefully he slid his hands to her waist, intending to gather up the material to help her dress again so he would not have to look at those perfect breasts while he tried to talk to her. His hands closed around her, and she leaned into him lightly, her head lowering dreamily as she placed delicate fingers around his hips. Her warmth seduced him, and he made no protest as she cuddled against him, running his hands down her back slowly as she suckled his nipples in return, small teeth nipping him in retaliation for what he had done to her. Gasping a little at how good it felt, he let her nuzzle him, the smell of arousal strong in his nostrils, making it very difficult to think. His hands moved of his own accord to release her hair from its confines, to let it flow freely down her back. He ran his fingers through the wealth of it, letting it play over his hands like sunlight. She stood on tiptoe and he kissed her slowly, sensuously, more than half tempted to just tumble back onto the bed and save any discussions for later - much later, after he had sated himself in her. With a wry grin, he resisted the temptation and carefully unwound himself from her. 

Grasping her hand firmly in his, Darien led the way back to the living room, though his body protested mightily. She followed dutifully, an anxious look invading her eyes as desire slipped into uncertainty. He stopped at his favorite chair, large enough to hold one curled up for reading, easily large enough for two to cuddle. He sat carefully, one hand still holding hers, and tugged her into his lap. She half fell, half tripped into him, her awkwardness a far cry from the seductress of the bedroom. He arranged her carefully, his hand stroking her bare back and neck, his other resting across her knees in keep her from bolting (although also to stroke the bare skin revealed there). Darien relaxed his body, willing hers to follow suit as he held her gently, trying to stroke the anxiety and uncertainty from her limbs. Finally she surrendered against him, body warming and relaxing in the heat of the room, his fingers stroking her neck and hair. One arm draped itself across his bare chest, fingers resting in the hollow of his collarbone, her lips brushing his neck. Darien felt content, although the heat at the base of his spine reminded him of business not yet finished. Serena drowsed in his arms, hair tickling his nostrils, her slight weight coiled against him as perfectly as if she had been moulded for him. 

Darien sighed her name, and felt her attention return to him from wherever the room had sent it. Now was the time for words of the soul, although the moon had not yet risen nor candles been lit. 

"Serena, there are some things that I must tell you and some things that I must know. Will you listen?" Darien pitched his voice low, not to disturb the warmth of the room. 

Serena's response was equally low, her voice full of languor and almost sleep, "I would always listen for you." 

"What we do here is wrong. You are too young . . . hush, don't start spitting at me, little cat. Relax and listen." Darien punctuated his remark with a kiss. "I speak only the truth to you . . . you are too young for this. I, at least, can see the trouble this will cause." 

Serena struggled up to a sitting position, indignation upon her features. "I love you! How can you say this is wrong? I want to be with you! Don't try and tell me you don't want to 'cause I won't believe you!" She was beautiful in Darien's gaze, strong and fearless, unabashed at her state of undress or his. 

Darien chuckled wryly, if little painfully. "No little cat, I won't try and deny it now. And that is a thing I want to ask you. You say it lightly, but I ask again, beautiful Serena: do you love me?" 

Serena grew still upon his lap, and Darien's heart started to freeze again at the solemn look on her face. Whispering, as if to say it too loud would somehow hurt her, Serena said, " I love you so much I hurt to look at you. I look at you and I feel as if I have loved you forever, and I'm scared of it." 

Darien felt the truth, the _rightness_ of it pass through him like an arrow, and he closed his eyes in relief for a moment. He opened his clear gaze to look at her, her wide eyes and small face so dear to him now. Carefully, he tried to choose the words for the other things he needed to say. "And I love you . . .Serena . . . and it scares me too." Darien struggled to articulate the secrets that surrounded his life. "There are things about my life, about _me,_ that you do not know, things that I _cannot_ tell you, and these things will hurt you. I know that I should kick you out my door before we go any further than we have . . . but I don't think I can. We may never have more than what we have here, today, and I wish very much to continue what we started on my bed. But tomorrow if you call I may not be here . . . and even if I am, I may have to leave you unexpectedly, without explanation. Is that the kind of boyfriend you want? It is part of who I am - and I can't change it, even for you." 

For once, Serena tried to think of something beyond today, to try and understand whatever it was that Darien was trying to tell her. Could she imagine it, Darien leaving without saying why, returning to her with silence and a secret? The thought crept unbidden upon her _ - perhaps not returning at all?_ She thought of her own secrets, and realized dimly how difficult this would be. What would she say to Darien when _she_ was the one that had to leave? Serena knew desparingly a little of what Darien was trying to say - this relationship was probably doomed from the start. Biting her lip, Serena drew a deep breath, then another. She said clearly to him, "I love you. You love me. I will deal with everything else as it comes up. And if today is all we have, then I will not let you go for anything." 

Her expression was fierce, and Darien squeezed her tightly with relief and pride and drew her back to rest on his shoulder. "In that case, we have only one more consequence to deal with, though potentially the hardest. _No one must know._ You are too young for _us_ Serena, and the world will take a dim view of me and you bouncing around on my bed. Not to mention your parents. No illusions about this Serena - if you and I are to be together, it will be to share my bed - I couldn't stand having you near without touching you." 

Serena blushed, but nodded her head vigorously in agreement. A look of confusion crossed over her features as she struggled to understand this concept. "What do you mean, no one can know? I mean, I _want_ everyone to know you're mine and I'm yours. Don't you?" 

Darien hugged her again. "You don't know how much it pleases me to know that you want everyone to know about us. But I'd rather us _be_ together. If people knew, the best we could expect is some strong looks and a lot of whispering. But the worst would be that somebody tells the authorities that I'm some kind of cradle-robber -- and I get in a whole lot of trouble and I wouldn't be allowed within a hundred feet of you. Not to mention your father would probably kill me." Serena opened her mouth to protest, then closed it as she remembered the look in her father's eye the night before. "You have to pretend _nothing_ has changed Serena - pretend so well that nobody knows what we do here in my apartment." 

Serena said flippantly, "I can pretend anything, just ask all my friends." Then she blushed at how bad that sounded, and Darien chuckled with her. 

Darien took a deep breath and made a hard choice. "Or we can forget all about this -- this thing between us. I don't want to hurt you, or make you do anything you don't want to do. And a, a _physical_ relationship may be more than you want to deal with - it causes its own set of problems. Maybe we should just be friends first?" Under his breath Darien muttered to himself, _"I think I could manage 'just friendly' if I had to. . ."_

Serena shook her head vigorously no, hair flying back and forth with emphasis. She tried to think of what would convince him that she understood, that she wanted this as badly as he did. Biting her lip nervously, she threaded her fingers together behind his neck and rose on his lap to straddle him, long legs tucking into the cushion on either side. She felt her hair pooling behind her, flowing over arms and legs. She leaned in carefully, and kissed him no little desperately - trying to put everything she felt into it. When she finally released him from the kiss, his eyes were dark and full of promise. 

"Be sure Serena, there's no going back from this." 

Serena answered clearly, and from her heart, "I'm sure." 


	2. part 2

interlude - part two 

"Then I think I had better call your parents and say that you're out to dinner with me, and that you'll be home late. I wouldn't want them to worry about you." 

Serena flashed to the image of Darien trying to talk to her father, and gulped. "Uh, maybe I'd better call. If my father thinks I'm with you . . .we won't have to worry about tomorrow, 'cause he'll shoot you today. " Darien grinned lopsidedly and nodded at that. Kissing him lightly, Serena hopped off his lap and went looking for the phone, absently tugging her clothing back into more or less correct position. She found it in the kitchen, and leaning against the counter, she made the call quickly, actually getting her mother on the phone. In a flash of inspiration Serena asked if it was ok to stay at Rei's for supper and then go to school in the morning? They were having a really good spread on and Rei wanted to do some studying after, could she please stay overnight? Serena heard the hesitation in her mother's voice and her heart plummeted, then suddenly her mom said ok, but don't forget to come by early enough in the morning to get her school clothes. Serena promised she would faithfully and hung up before her mom changed her mind. Now she didn't have to go anywhere all night. Smiling, Serena turned to Darien waiting in the kitchen door. 

_At home, Mother placed the telephone back on the hook. She smiled a little sadly as the knowledge of where Serena had to be washed over her. She looked at the ceiling and sent a little prayer upwards for her daughter - let it be beautiful for her._

Darien felt guilty on Serena's behalf, already she was lying for them. Yet it was hard to regret it, a whole night together instead of a few hours, time for playtime and talktime and lovetime. Reaching past her, he grabbed the phone and deliberately pulled the cord from the wall, causing the lights to grow in her eyes again, laughter warring with desire again. Also deliberately he paced to the front door and made a big production about turning all the locks on it, this time bringing real laughter. He grinned at her, and catching her in his strong arms, whirled her around and around. Her laughter was like small bells, the joy in her face lighting the room like sunlight. He placed her on her feet again, and kissed her solidly. She returned the kiss with interest and Darien felt the flames being stroked to life again. He ignored it, and held her hand as he trekked into the kitchen -- if he had all night there was no point rushing. 

Serena helped him raid the fridge - spicy pickles and mild cheese, salted crackers and some kind of salmon paste. A handful of nuts and some leftover takeout pizza. She found grapes hiding on the counter, and a truly impressive chocolate stash in a ceramic jar. Her eyes got large at that and Darien had the grace to blush. Like children, they assembled the haul on the coffee table in the main room, and Serena sprawled on the couch with a handful of grapes. Darien chose the floor, tucked between the couch and the table near her head. He hand fed her the little chocolates, laughing as she tried to bite his fingers. Darien deliberately let the tension simmer below the surface, not giving in to Serena's increasingly more obvious attempts to get him interested in other things than food. He peeled an apple with a small knife, and alternately fed the both of them with pieces on the point of the knife. She pouted when he wouldn't respond, so he distracted her with questions about her little brother, what it was like living in her family. She chattered happily and inquired about his. When Darien revealed his lack, she was silent but with a wounded expression in her eyes that made his heart melt again. He moved on to other topics, asking about her school and her friends. He spoke about about his life, such as it was - feeling himself opening to his love as the sun sank lower and slower in the sky. When they were down to the pickles and crackers, Darien felt himself as relaxed as he could ever remember being. A glance to Serena lying on her back on his couch showed her to be equally lethargic, almost _purring_ in her contentment. Her hair was pooling over his shoulder, and he idly played with the strands, rubbing them over his fingers, reveling in the feel. The conversation faltered and then died a comfortable death, strangled in the last warmth of the day, both of them focused inside themselves. 

Serena lazily draped one leg over the back of the couch, licking the last of the salmon paste from her fingers. She stared at the ceiling, not looking at Darien but aware of his hands in her hair as if possessed of sensitivity in the individual threads. She sighed gently and knew that Darien echoed her movement. Tilting her head a little, she looked at him from the corner of her eye, greedily gazing at the strong profile, the shock of hair that she knew was like warmest silk to the touch. His collarbone jutted sharply from his chest, and Serena recalled inimately how his skin had felt under her hands. Her eyes slipped casually across the curve of his shoulders, and the fine sprinking of hair on the nape of his neck. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable again, a feeling she was becoming more familiar with somewhere in her stomach that tasted something like honey and pain. His nearness assaulted her senses and Serena began to feel awkward again, all too long arms and coltish legs. Her gaze swept over the glossy black of his hair and she remembered vividly the deep colour of his eyes. That honey feeling began to sweep through her body, and she felt that internal trembling starting again, all shaky and quivery. 'O great,' she thought with despair and a rising hysteria, 'he doesn't even need to touch me, and I fall to pieces!' Serena felt confused and excited, a combination that had occurred to her before. 'I don't understand this at all!' she wailed to herself. Serena just knew she was going to explode if she didn't get away from here. 

Nervously, she sat up from the reclining position she'd fallen into, butter yellow hair sliding sinously through Darien's fingers. A little startled, he looked back at her abrupt change of position. Studiously she didn't meet his gaze, leaning forward a little on the cushions like a bird about to take flight. She got to her feet in a rush and too casually walked to the balcony window. Placing one slim hand with unconscious grace on the jamb, she stepped through into the fresh air and the noise of the city broke over her. Serena leaned on the railing, eyes seeing the familiar Tokyo skyline without really registering it. Her feelings and thoughts flashed through her mind like koi in a pond, all glittering fins and flickering darknesses. She tried to breathe deeply, and ended up swallowing convulsively, panic rising and falling within her. That devil in her head again was saying that this fascination with Darien was insane, no matter how right it felt. She hardly knew him, hadn't exchanged more than a few dozen words with him before this and most of those had been insults. She knew she wasn't that good in school, and Darien had never before missed an opportunity to remind her of it. So what was this feeling that seemed to have trapped them both, so overwhelming that she couldn't think around it? Serena was young and the physical attraction was complex and disturbing, but intuitively she knew that it was really only the tip of what she felt suddenly for the man with storm-colored eyes. In the middle of her fragmented thoughts and emotions, Serena felt her fragile self-image start to crack as her imagination ran away with her. It was almost with a feeling of relief that she felt Darien step onto the balcony behind her, bringing all her internal accusations crashing to an immediate and confusing halt. 

It was not until later years that she recognized this moment for what it was - when for a moment she reverbrated with the recognition of soul shaking love. For as the spicy scent of his skin fell over her like a prayer, Serena felt that emotion rising through the chaos of her thoughts, an undefinable sense that he would always show her the right path, that she had only to trust in him and he would be her unfailing light in the darkness. Serena felt this moment of clarity like a brilliant piece of sun falling through the depths of ocean, fading as it fell. It would take the moment of her greatest darkness for her to remember this revelation, that he was the mate of her soul as well as her heart, to be recalled with soul bruising agony in the moment that she lost him. 

But now, Serena clenched hands on the railing, and closed her eyes helplessly as he came and stood behind her, wrapping shockingly warm arms around her slightly chill body. She leaned back tentatively into his embrace and felt his breath stir her hair into a small dance. They stood that way for a few minutes, Darien knowingly giving her the time to compose herself, feeling something of what she must be feeling. Darien questioned himself, keenly aware again of how young she was emotionally, and that the glimpses he'd had of her grounded and speaking her mind with clear sight were only teasers of the woman she would become. And Darien knew helplessly that it was beyond any sense of control now, that whereever the borderline had been he had crossed it too long ago to turn back. Unless she ran out of this apartment right now and never came back, he knew where this night was heading. Darien couldn't find it in his heart to regret the eventual parting that they would soon have to share. Some people never even got that much space of love, and Darien's thoughts flashed back to the old man in the park, and his heart throbbed in sudden painful understanding. 

His arms tightened convulsively, and she squirmed around inquiringly, sky blue eyes staring into his. Darien smiled into them, seeing small flecks of silver floating across the iris of her eyes, a trick of the light perhaps. His gaze deepened as a blush came to her face, her lips of softest pink quivering slightly with a trembling that had a match in her limbs. Darien felt the heat rising between them again, and shamelessly he exploited it. Leaning in, he kissed her the lightest butterfly kiss he could manage, feeling her lashes brush his cheek in a involuntary caress of her own. Even this lightest of contacts shivered his backbone, and he bent her back over the railing to kiss her again. Darien knew his eyes must reflect that wild, almost feral emotion of possession that welled inside him. Surprisingly, Serena seemed to freeze into a moment of stillness in his arms and he was sure he saw an understanding acceptance in her gorgeous eyes in the moment before his lips met hers again. The fire flared between them, and the kiss lengthened until both of them were gasping with the force of it. Feverishly he kissed her again and again, strong calloused hands running possessively over the wealth of her unbound hair. After an unknown time Darien raised his head, his eyes reflecting how shaken he felt. Serena gazed up adoringly and the look of vulnerability on his face went through her like a lightning bolt, her self-confidence rising that she could make him feel like she did. Darien gave a wry grin down at the expression of smug satisfaction her face, and with a hint of roughness said, 'Let's go back inside.' 

Serena blinked and then breathed back a soft, 'Yes.' With ease he ducked down and casually picked her up, a reminder of when he had held her in the clean misting of the fountain. Serena felt at peace once again as he stepped across the threshold and back into the suddenly darkened room. 

* * *

Across the street, Rei frowned in confusion. She often took this route back to the temple when her grandfather sent her out for supplies. She always made a point of looking up to the balcony that was Darien's, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. And it seems that she had seen more than she wanted to with this casual spying expedition. Darien had not been wearinga shirt, she could make that out at least, and the kisses had not been platonic by any stretch of the imagination. Rei cursed how far away she was, that she couldn't make out who the girl was, only the brightness of her yellow hair standing out in the growing gloom. Rei felt jealously consuming her heart, and her eyes narrowed as she contemplated how to make Darien pay for being involved with some other girl and not telling her. He was a cad. A swine. A two-timing low life. Working herself into a fit of rage and jealousy, Rei swore to find out who the mystery girl was so she could flaunt the knowledge under his nose and then storm away in righteous indignation. Deep in thoughts of revenge, Rei continued her interrupted walk back home, the bag of supplies bouncing heedlessly over her shoulder. 

* * *

Inside, Darien gently deposited Serena in the middle of the floor, and with a finger to her lips, indicated that she was to stay there. Mutely, Serena watched as he closed the balcony door and closed the blinds, turning the room to murky darkness. With the surety of long residence, Darien prowled the room, lighting candles that she hadn't noticed before that began to cast a mellow glow over the air. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Serena took the time to appreciate the animalistic quality of Darien's movements. 'A big cat,' she thought dreamily, 'hard and velvet and all mine.' She trembled again, feeling her nipples tighten painfully against the thin cotton of her dress. This time the feeling didn't frighten her and she waited with eyes like pools of stars for him to return to her. He paused by the small stereo and selected something that began to play a slow and sad music that suited her mood of occasion. He paced back to her, a light footed stalking that sent delicious shivers of anticipation racing over her skin. Tenderly he folded her back into his embrace and he began to sway in time to the music, a slow rhythm that she was able to follow effortlessly. Her arms wrapped lovingly around his waist, her smooth cheek nestled into the curve of his shoulder. They moved together to the music, Serena daringly lifting her head to invite the magic of his kisses, her hands traveling the length of his warm back, fingers splayed over the shifting mysteries of his strong muscles. His lips were full of promise and sensuality and she felt each movement of his body like a shock of electricity. Serena forgot that she was awkward and clumsy, forgot that she was too young for him and for what was between them, forgot even that the rest of the world existed outside the curve of his arms. 

He shuddered appreciatively as her hips curved around him sweetly and with specific intent. Her lips began to rove over his chest, her sweet tongue darting out to caress the hard knots that were his nipples, her teeth grazing his skin. Deliberately, Darien altered the rhythm of their twinned movements, beginning to make slow love to her again, wary of sending her into another fit of fright and anxiety. She responded as eagerly as even he could have wished, matching his pace and lifting one leg to curve over the back of his thigh, standing on tiptoe to bring her body tighter into his. Darien began to shake imperceptibly, a cold flash running through his veins like a demon as the front of his straining jeans were brought into direct contact with the warmth between her legs. Darien's mind supplied him with a vision of how she would feel if his clothes weren't on, and with a mute groan he wrapped strong fingers across her back and pulled her tight into his body. The shock of that suddenly overwhelmingly intimate connection brought them both to a moment of awareness in the midst of the whirl of sensation. Serena's hands had flown to his shoulders to maintain her balance, and she was almost nose to nose with him. They gazed searchingly into each other for long moments, that pulse of blood the only movement between them. 

With a calculation that was born of an impulse in her bones, Serena leaned back and trusted to his strength to hold them. She began to circle and rock her hips against the hardness in his groin, stroking and pressing herself against him. Her fingers curled into claws with the effort and Darien felt her thighs flexing along his own with the strain of the controlled movements she was making. His long hands wrapped around her waist, and he felt the twisting, sinuous movements of her body shaking through his arms. His eyes greedily drank in the sight of her long neck thrown back, her long hair pooling to the floor, her rolling torso inciting him to near riot with lust. He began to thrust more urgently into her softness, the scent of her arousal rising through his brain like the sweetest addiction. 

Darien felt himself approaching flashover point, when he would simply collapse to the floor with her and rape her willing body over and over again until he was satiated. That was not how he wanted it to be her first time, as much as his body might be urgently demanding it. Than as the thought sunk in, that this would be her first time, that he would be her first lover, a sun-bright arrow pierced his heart and Darien nearly hit crisis point as her sweet body vibrated against his. Gasping, Darien broke away and stood up from the deep stance he had fallen into, forcing her leg down his thigh and away from that compulsive movement that had destroyed his concentration. With fingers that trembled, he traced the contours of her face and the silken corners of her mouth. With a darkness in his voice that he didn't bother to disguise, he whispered to her, 'You distract me, witch.' 

Serena blushed a little but her gaze was as clear as it had ever been. Darien felt a sensation of vertigo as he knew how hopelessly he loved her, and how little chance they had together. With a rigidly enforced casualness, he brushed his hands along her collarbone, then curved around her shoulders to release the closure of her dress so that it fell at her feet like a froth of sea and foam, standing as golden as Aphrodite new-risen from the waters. Serena began to shiver and Darien doubted it was from cold. His gaze travelled the length of her body, greedily sucking in the sight of her breasts quivering atop her heaving chest, and the shadowly places across her flank that eased into the curves of her beautiful hips. The softness of her belly trembled under his eyes, the scrap of her panties hardly concealing the darker gold that peeped out from under it. Her long legs were so beautiful, even the curve of her ankles drawing his admiration and approval. 

He kissed her sun bright hair and lips soft as petals. He kissed the curve of her jaw and the softness of her neck where her pulse beat like the wings of a bird. He worked his way lower and lower, across the ache of her nipples and the taut skin over her ribcage. His hands slid lower over her slim hips and hooked the waistband of her panties, tugging them down to expose the paler flesh underneath. His lips on her belly, he felt her breathing become shallow and the flight of her hands into his hair, but she didn't stop him or say no. Darien continued and in a moment, that scrap of cotton joined the pile at her feet. With sensitive fingertips he kneaded them into the bewitching curive of her outer thighs and his head dipped lower, tongue circling her belly button and then teasingly through her upper curls. Her scent was intoxicating and Darien could now see the dampness on her thighs and her spasmodic trembling. Gently he nuzzled her mound, her fingers now clenched convulsively into his hair. He kissed her thighs, licking at the salt on her skin and the taste of her arousal. Coaxingly he eased her legs into a wider stance, so that she opened beneath his gaze like a shy flower. Eyes half closed, Darien held her legs in an unshakeable grip and he placed his next kiss directly over her exposed center. Her trembling exploded, and shockingly his tongue darted out and stroked the small nub of flesh so that Serena made unidentifiable sounds of exquisite pleasure and near pain. Involuntarily, Serena tried to close her legs against this surprising invasion but Darien had been prepared and neither his hand nor tongue gave her any mercy. With an expertise born simply of his own desire to please and posses her, his tongue worked magic over and through her, alternately sucking and caressing her pleasure node, then maddeningly ignoring it to tickle her thighs and tease with his teeth against her excrutiatingly sensitive flesh. 

Serena had never even known something like this was possible, her hands buried in his thick hair as his mouth moved over her in the most intimate caress she could imagine. Her legs widened voluntarily, allowing him greater and greater access to her. She had sniggered with her friends when they watched people kiss on the street, had giggled with Molly over the racy pictures that Ruruna had brought to school one day. But no one had ever suggested that someone could do this to you, could make you feel like your whole existence narrowed to a single overwhelming point of sensation. Even explorations of her own body, as satisfying as they had been at the time, were pale shadows compared to this. His tongue lapped at her like a cat, and his hands held her to the most minimal of movements. As her legs relaxed and opened, Darien dared further and with a quick twist, probed the entrance to her virginity with the tip of his tongue, tasting the sticky honey that now flowed from her like lifeblood. With a wild sound, Serena arched in his hands, thrusting her hips forward into his mouth, and groaning, Darien buried his teasing, wicked tongue into that tempting crevice, thrusting and lapping at the pulsing walls that wrapped around him. He stroked her with a response that equalled her own, her mindless thrusting and twisting controlling the tempo now, and Darien rode the wave of her impending release with a keen sense of anticipation. 

And then as suddenly as it had started, her body froze into immobility and Darien could feel the crazy pulse running across his lips. His tongue glided immediately to her point of insanity and scraped with with deliberately painful teeth. With a wail that shook her body like a leaf in a windstorm , Serena spasmed around him, trapping his tongue deep inside her as her thighs flexed powerfully around him. Her honey pulsed in waves, flooding into his mouth as he eagerly drank her orgasm. Only his strong arms held her up as Serena shook and cried out in shock and surprise. As her trembling became spasmodic and her thighs began to release him, Darien withdrew the deepness of his contact and gently licked at her, easing her body back down from the heights it had flown to. Her hands began to unclench finally and she started to try to support her own weight again, legs trembling with reaction. She leaned into his body as he rose higher on his knees to press his face into her trembling belly. His hands rose to stroke her softly, and like a flower drooping in the setting sun, she slowly collapsed to her knees against him, her hands running over his hair as she held him to her breast. 

Darien caressed her sweetly shivering body, damp and shaking with reaction, and absently began to suckle on one of her hard nipples, gentle suction tugging it out of position and into his hungry mouth. She seemed not to notice for a moment, still shocked in the aftermath, and Darien used the opportunity of inattention to move his fingers between her thighs. He curved the palm of his hand over her mound of silken curls and his fingers slipped with shocking ease into her warmth. She wriggled but that only served to allow him deeper access. With one finger he began to toy with her pulsing button, and began to suckle on one breast in earnest. In a vain attempt to stop this new invasion, Serena dropped her hands from his hair down to his wrist, locking her slim fingers convulsively on it. She tried to lift herself away, and Darien let her draw away slightly before plunging his hand upwards, impaling her on his fingers. He began to stroke her again and again, his thumb now rubbing over her flaring nerve point. 

Serena was totally at a loss, her desperate move to rid herself of his persistent fingers only serving to allow him to penetrate her more deeply. She squeezed her thighs together to try and close him out, but her own slickness merely heightened the sensation as his hand moved insistently over and through her. Her hands tightened on his wrist in a death lock and with a shock of lustful awareness realized the sight she must look; hair flowing like a shifting garment of gold over her back, her thighs trembling around a man's invading arm, her breasts squeezed and thrust forward in open invitation for his insistent mouth. Desperately, she whetted her lips and looked down at Darien, trying to express how she felt, unsure herself whether she wanted him to stop or take her higher into this sexual experience. Her mute appeal was not lost on Darien and he eased off, and with a final stroke over her damp curls, released her again. With a sigh she drooped forward, trembling against his body and this time he just held her and let her senses relax from the tightness they had been drawn to. 

When her breathing slowed, and she stirred again, he got stiffly to his feet and drew her after him. The music had stopped somewhere along the way, and only the candles burned still. Holding her hand warmly in his, he led her to the bedroom and laid her down on the darkness of his bed. With hands that were none too steady, he divested himself quickly of his few garments, jeans rustling as he drew them off. His hard erection tugged at his belly, and he lowered himself to the cool bed beside her and gathered her sweetly into his arms. Darien was content for the moment to simply hold her, her skin to his, and her hair like a flame in the dark. He stroked it gently as her breathing tickled his collarbone and chest, and knew he had thought of nothing else but this since he had kissed her yesterday in the cool water. 

Hesitantly, her fingers reached out and touched his mouth. He nibbled at them slowly and they moved to trace the planes of his face. He felt her prop herself up on one elbow and he turned his head to face her, her eyes enormous in the minimal light slipping through the window. She drew her hand over the curve of his eyebrows and then down the taut smoothness of his chest. His stomach tensed with butterflies as she lingered there, a feeling at once both ticklish and disturbing. He willed her hand to go lower yet, but she hesitated there, so close to his aching hardness that he nearly groaned with it. Serena leaned in and nuzzled his ear, sending a sudden wave of goose shivers down his body. She giggled softly and then surprisingly purred, a sound he'd never heard before. She moved her lips to the bone behind his ear and purred louder, sending waves of sound vibration coursing through his bones. With something approaching desperation, he wound his free hand into the base of her hair and pulled her away, then sprawled her halfway across his chest and kissed her savagely. Her tongue ran possessively into his mouth, perhaps taking a page from his own book, and this time Darien did groan with the pleasure of it. 

Then with a smoothness and surety he never would have given her, she threw her leg over his thighs and raised herself to sit astride him, her wet softness pressed firmly against his hard cock, pinning it to his belly with her weight. The instant sensation of contact nearly proved his undoing, and Darien clutched at the bed to keep from moving, knowing that anything would send him over the edge. His hardness pulsed between her thighs erratically and he breathed harshly, the exquisite sensation of her body atop his doing wicked things to his desire. She waited with bird-like anticipation until his body stopped straining under hers, and his hands raised from the bed to hesitantly stroke her legs. Serena began to slide herself slowly along his stiff length, each stroke slicker and more teasing than the last, his erection jumping in uncontrollable twitches beneath her. Deliberately she kept it slow, and Darien released all control to her, his fingers spread and kneading her thighs hard enough to leave small bruises. Serena had never felt this way before, lazy and excited, and she moved on instinct alone, trying to give him the same pleasure he had given her. 

Serena listened with increasing pleasure as Darien twitched and moaned beneath her. She raised herself higher on her knees and placed delicate fingers on his chest, beginning to stroke backwards as well, dipping and teasing him as his hips began to buck. She discovered a way to twist her body and hips into a quick sliding curve as she slid her outer lips against his steel length, and felt the immediate response beneath her. Serena realized that she was losing control herself as her sweet spot rubbed against him again and again, and raising that aching tide inside her. 

As Serena concentrated on this dance of arousal, a quick snake movement downward of her hips and the powerful flexing of his thighs brought his erection to the brink of her slickness, and Serena gave a cry of fright and shock as the tip penetrated her defenses. She froze against him, feeling his hardness tight against her thighs and her legs splayed to either side of his straining body. Leaning forward on her hands, she realized the vulnerability of her position, the head of cock already lodged tightly against her, the tip of it vibrating inside. One thrust, and she was his, unable to prevent or deny it. In a sudden agony of spirit her eyes flew to his face. 

In the dim light, Darien's face was totally closed, all angles and sharp edges as his chest flexed under her fingers. In amazement, Serena saw that he was biting his lip with the agony of not completing the stroke, his whole body vibrating to complete that one act, and his indomitable will refusing to take that choice away from her. In that flash of recognition, Serena's fears vanished and with a wild cry tensed her arms against his chest and impaled herself backwards, taking half of his length in that one stroke. Darien's body could hold no longer, and he surged underneath her, driving his shaft to the hilt inside her. Darien's cry of completeness mingled with her own and Serena whimpered and rocked on top of him, crossing her arms in agony over her breasts. The burning between her legs seemed insurmountable and she could feel him so deeply inside of her she thought she was going to choke. Mindless she twisted and tensed around him, feeling like a hot metal spike had been driven into her belly, ripping her apart. Suddenly his hips thrust foward in a powerful motion, and Serena wailed with the exquisite agony of it. She trembled and cried out again, and dimly she heard him say something in a voice barely recognizable, but the words flew past her understanding. Then she felt his legs bunch underneath her and he thrust inside her again, and yet again. Hands on his chest and hopelessly off balance, Serena could only endure the rhythm as the burning intensified and she cried out in pain, tears springing to her eyes. 

But sooner than she would have believed possible, the burning became a heat and then a fire rising in her belly, his hardness slipping through and into her in a motion as old as the sea. Serena knew dimly that she was lifting her hips away from him in perfect time, that she spread her legs wider to allow him deeper penetration, each stroke shaking both their bodies with the driving force of it. Serena heard her own voice somewhere, chanting something she couldn't hear over the wild beating of her heart, and the rushing flow of the blood in her ears. Then she gave up thinking at all, simply reacting to his body twisting under hers, riding his arching hips with all the desire of her young body to have all of his, and to never let it end. 

It was with a feeling of sweet conclusion that Serena felt another bout of shaking attack her, stronger and more intense, and knew that she couldn't last much longer. Darien's feverish hands felt it, felt the wild trembling of her body become unglued again, frantic and driven. Her body burst into new heat and Darien felt her inner muscles clamp down on him in a grip of unmistakeable intent, her hair like a corona around them both. His voice rose with hers and Darien arched beneath her again and again, riding the wave of their burgeoning orgasm. Wave upon wave of pulsing, aching need flowed through him into her, filling her belly with hot liquid, her walls throbbing around his imprisoned cock. Darien felt his vision flash into white, could only feel that one point of connection and the spilling of his seed into her secret flower. Serena trembled uncontrollably, feeling the incredible sweetness of her release flowing over him and the sudden heat inside her that spoke of his. She felt the shaking of his body under her fingertips and she fell forward against him, slick with sweat and suddenly too warm to be believed. She panted against his chest, hair sticking to her all over like a shroud and the painful throbs of his heartbeat matching the quivering she still felt inside her, his hardness no longer stretching her apart quite so tightly. He wound his arms around her, and slowly the world stopped spinning and their breathing slowed to near sleep. 

Carefully he rolled her onto her back, Serena sleepily protesting until he settled his partial weight over her, his breath tickling her ear. He remained inside her still, unwilling to release that intimate connection just yet. Absently he caressed her breast, running a slow hand over her body as far as he could reach. Serena hugged him and Darien felt himself slide another step towards sleep. He dozed lightly, the scent of her hair and the smell of their recent sex combining delightfully in his nostrils. Dreamily, Darien wished it would always be like this, to hold this woman in his arms, to wake up with her every morning. Something about her seemed so right to him, that her youth and inexperience was a passing phase that would yield something mysterious and beloved to him, that all he had to do was wait. With smug satisfaction he recalled his moment of release, when she had been wrapped around him so tightly he could have died of it. As relaxed as he could ever recall being, he mused that if things only got better after the first time, he might not survive it. Under half closed lids he surveyed her sleeping face, noting the small smile on her lips. He hoped that meant he had pleased her, had not been totally selfish his first time. 

His hand moved down to caress the softness of her belly, the dampness that lingered on her skin and he contemplated his seed inside her, proof of his possession where none could dispute it. The idea rose headily in his mind, that now she was truly his in a way that none could ever take away, that he would always remember this moment in the aftermath of love. He wanted her to be his in every way that counted, so that anyone looking would know and stay away. His hand flexed lovingly over the slight swell of stomach, and he imagined his seed spreading inside her with mindless purpose, to make a child of this union. An image of Serena's body swollen with his baby rose inside him like a wave, and Darien came suddenly awake in a surge of fierce joy and equally fierce dismay. His body shivered in sudden cold as he realized that things had developed so quickly that he hadn't even considered this natural consequence. This one act of uncontrolled impulse could already have given her that child, that she was young but not so young that menarche wouldn't be established. Darien cursed himself helplessly for all kinds of fool, for not thinking of this several hours ago when he would have been able to do something about it. Something about Serena had always overloaded his circuits to think, and probably always would. He ached suddenly with something approaching pain. Tomorrow they would part for their separate ways, and if things went wrong, he would never know if she carried his child or not. 

'O God,' he thought, his thoughts racing and clear. 'A child. Our child.' Darien's mind flashed him a picture of Serena holding a small boy by the hand, a boy that had her eyes and a somehow familiar quirky smile. Darien couldn't decipher the emotions sweeping through him, something of despair and guilt, and something as hot and bright as flame. With fevered gaze he swept her beautiful face, the roundness of childhood making it smooth and soft in the filtered moonlight. Then with a sense of fatalism he realized that the damage was well and truly done, there was no backing away from the consequences now. With another, milder curse for himself, he settled back into her body and resolutely refused to deal with it until the morning brought reality again. 

An unaccountable time later, Darien woke again, this time from the chill of sleeping naked on top of the covers. The parts of him that covered Serena were warm though. Cheeky child that she was, she seemed perfectly content where she was. Darien propped himself on one elbow to watch her when she wasn't aware of it. Her face was still nuzzled into his chest, mouth slightly open and her hair tangled around the both of them.Tantalizing glimpses of flesh peeped out between the golden threads, and Darien felt his desire stir again to life. When she slept, she really looked the child she was without her mobile expressions to disguise the fact. Darien realized that at least some of what he was feeling was a sense of guilt over her youth and an equally strong conviction that it changed nothing. Not wanting to wake her, he carefully stroked the smoothness of her hair away from her beloved face, running long fingers through its silk. His expression was soft, the normally tight planes of his face relaxed and his eyes darkened to a deeper shade of love and acceptance. Had Serena awakened to see his expression at that moment, it would have been impossible for her to mistake the depths and surety of his feelings. 

With a sigh, Darien carefully lifted himself away finally and moved off the bed, careful not to disturb her too much. She sprawled into the warm spot he had just left and sighed softly in her sleep. She took up more room than he would have thought possible if he hadn't know a few cats in his time. With a smile, Darien quietly left the room and stretched slowly on his way to the bathroom. He revelled in the soft protestations of his body, the aches and abrasions only heightening his anticipation of the next round. Leisurely he turned on the water for the bath and rummaging in the cabinet, found a couple of leftover mineral salts and added them to the filling tub. The water started to foam slightly and a mildly fragrant odor began to permeate the small room. While the tub continued to fill, Darien made his way to the living room and collected a few of the larger candles that were still burning. He blew the rest of them out as he went, carefully cradling the fragile glass bottles with the multihues of oil gently rocking inside them. He arranged them carefully so that their warm glow spread over the small bathroom like a benediction. Testing the water, he adjusted the taps and then wondered if he should wake her up first or simply carry her into the water. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and he looked up, startled. Serena hugged the doorway, eyes a little anxious and wearing his cast off shirt. She looked simply adorable, the hem of his shirt hanging to her knees and softly biting her lip. One finger came to her mouth and she nibbled on it uncertainly, and then dropped it to wring her hands together. Darien straightened up and Serena blinked and stepped back a little. Peeking at him under long lashes, Serena stumbled over the words. 'I woke up and . . . well you weren't . . . and I thought . . . um, I just thought I'd come see where you were.' The words finished in a rush and Darien's heart beat painfully at the vulnerable expression in her eyes. Her lips were quivering, and Darien walked slowly towards her, his reflection growing large in her eyes. He wrapped strong arms around her and kissed her warmly, trying to drive all her uncertainties away. When he pulled away, her face was soft again and she blushed. 

Serena tried to look up into his eyes, but she knew she was blushing and was afraid to seem too naive. It had been frightening at first, to wake up in a strange place, her body hurting and sore in places she didn't want to think about too closely. The room had been the wrong shape, the light coming from the wrong direction, even the smell was different. It was when she had realized she was cold and had shifted her position that her body had protested in a shockingly intimate way. In a flash Serena had remembered everything that had happened, and her body had flushed both hot and cold and raised shaking hands to her face. Darien was gone from her side, and she was afraid to find out what he thought, if she had disappointed him with her inexperience. Trembling she got up from the bed, her thighs sticky and her insides burning with an odd, tearing pain. She cast around for her clothes, wanting to cover her nakedness before he saw her, but could only find his shirt. She clutched at it and wriggled into the sleeves, rolling them up just so she could find her fingers to do up the buttons. His spicy scent rose around her, and Serena stopped momentarily, eyes closed as she savoured the joy of wearing his clothing like she had a right to. It felt almost like his arms were holding her, and idly she wondered if he'd let her take it home so she could wear it to sleep in. On tiptoe, she left the bedroom, wanting him to hold her again and afraid to ask. 

The only light had come from the bathroom and Serena catwalked over there, trying very hard not to make any noise. It was a miracle that she didn't trip over anything on the way, but she peeped in where the soft light of candles was eminating. Small green plants softened the harsh outlines of the small bathroom, and soft towels hung on the rack. For a moment, Darien had been oblivious to her presence and Serena had drunk in the sight of him like a draught of heady wine. She could see the fine hairs raised on his arms, and the candles made his normally pale skin a bronze sheen that complemented him. The pale scent of flowers drifted by her and her greedy eyes saw his thick black hair needed cutting, long enough to curl slightly at the ends and now in a wild state with clear marks of his finger-combing. Long lashes caught the light and made his eyes in profile seem dipped in gold. Her eyes drifted shyly down his body, all his toned muscles standing out in bas-relief and sending a queer thrill of ownership through her. His lower belly drew her fascinated gaze, a dark arrow of hair curling down into his groin and Serena could see that his thighs were stained a slightly darker colour. With a jolt, Serena realized that must be her blood, and her thoughts scattered into confusion again. Before she could think of anything to say, he looked up. He had smiled at her and had simply walked over and kissed her again. All her half-formed fears vanished again and warm contentness had washed through her. 

Darien finished the long, lingering kiss and smiled down into her eyes. 'Your bath awaits, my love,' he said warmly. He kissed the tip of her nose and she blinked, startled. Lazily, he drew her into the bathroom and began to undo all the buttons of his shirt. She had them all they way up to the throat, and Darien chuckled silently to himself at this evidence of body shyness. He had revelled in her body, and intended to do so again, a couple of buttons merely served to heighten the pleasure of finding her golden skin underneath it. Blushing, she offered no resistance and resolutely refused to look in the mirror. When he had undone enough buttons, he pushed it off her shoulders and it slid with a rustle to the floor. Her slim fingers came up quickly, then settled over his chest as he kissed her again. Darien looked over her shoulder into the mirror, seeing his own dark head bent over her golden one, his height and strength beautifully matched to her slim delicateness. With a delicious shiver, he drew his gaze away and back down to her eyes. 

With a one hand still clasping hers, he turned off the running faucets and stepped in, drawing her after. Carefully, she settled in front of him, gasping when the hot water touched her the sore joining of her legs. Darien hugged her from behind, and she settled into his chest lazily, soaking in the hot water. The warmth spread through both of them and they drifted for a while silently. Darien reached for the soap and coaxed Serena into a sitting position, beginning to wash her smooth skin. He washed the blood traces from her thighs and covered her in slippery soap. Serena giggled as his hands traced the ticklish parts of her ribcage, gasping as they rose to play with her nipples. He stretched long arms to run them over her smooth legs, bending her forward at the waist to reach her ankles. Shyly, she turned around and face him on her knees and began to do the same for him, running the soap over his broad chest and defined arms, twining her fingers in his and carefully washing each fingertip. When her hand began to brush over his abdomen, he made no effort to hide his excitement, watching her with half-hooded eyes for reaction. Her eyes were bright but clear, and firmly she touched him with those soft, soapy hands and washed away the traces of their earlier lovemaking. Darien slipped further down into the tub with those distracting hands running over his erection, his blood starting to boil again. Serena's tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth, so deep was her concentration, and she moved her hands down his legs and across the sensitive spots on the backs of his knees. Darien twitched in startled reaction and her eyes flew to his face, merriment twinkling in them. He grinned and settled back down, letting her finish. 

When he was done to her satisfaction, she leaned forward, pert breasts brushing against his chest as she kissed him. He reached up and hugged her waist, drawing her back down into the water with him and began to thrust against her soft belly again. Serena made soft sounds of agreement and matched his movements, water sloshing over the sides of the tub. Darien made a sound of satisfaction as Serena curled her legs around his and made room for him to reach her center again. This time, Darien controlled his entry, knowing how sore she must feel. Serena knew now that the pain would dissipate, and didn't do anything more than moan when his hardness caused her to burn steadily again. The warm water seemed to help and the lingering soap on their bodies made it easy to slide into a steady rhythm. Serena was soon eagerly meeting his strokes, and Darien lost himself in her body and the relentless slide into mindlessness. Water went everywhere and Serena's kisses were deeper than velvet, drawing him into the warmth of her tongue and lips. Dazedly, he realized that he was going to finish again, his body already drawn to a peak of excitement. Gasping, he tried to tell her to stop moving, to wait a little longer but the imp inside her gave him no mercy, her body thrashing wildy in his imprisoning arms, wet hair flying around her like flame. With a sense of the inevitable, Darien felt the coiled snake in his belly start to move and he began to shake with the beginnings of his release. His eyes flew wide for a moment, gaze locked to Serena's flushed face, her expression of satisfaction and greed too much for him to handle. 

Darien's eyes closed involuntarily, and Serena could feel the uncontrollable nature of his thrusting underneath her like riding a beautiful horse, all power and strength. His strong fingers grabbed urgently at the sides of the tub and he arched his back, his long neck falling away from her and chest straining with the throes of incipent passion. With a cry that seemed both of passion and pain, Darien shuddered and twisted beneath her, his face a riot of emotion. Serena felt like a goddess, like a queen, like the most favoured woman in the world that he should do this beneath her, his face reflecting the passion she gave him. With a final groan, Darien settled back into the water, body softly shuddering. Dazedly his eyes opened, and Serena smiled down wickedly at him and squeezed her thighs against him. With a grin, Darien reached up and tweaked a nipple, his body relaxing into the water. Wonderingly, he looked around and realized that the bath was over as most of the water was now on the floor. Serena got up and stood over him, her hair tangled and wet, clinging to her body like a second skin. With a groan, Darien got up on shaky legs and leaned against her for a moment. Her skin smelled like pale flowers and sex and Darien reached again for the taps, this time settling for a shower. They embraced loosely, and Darien was content to lean in the hot water pounding down on his head and wash Serena's hair. Finished finally, they stepped out onto the soggy floor. 

Darien winced, wondering if the downstairs neighbor was going to complain in the morning, and wrapped Serena in a long towel. Wrapping one around his waist, he pulled out a few more from the cupboard and threw them on the floor. He noticed Serena staring at him in the mirror and grinned back at her, one lock of hair falling in his eyes. Shyly she looked away, but then stared boldly back. He came up behind her and placed a kiss on the damp skin of her neck. He realized they hadn't said very much, but then words seemed so inadequate to the things he was feeling. She helped him take the candles into the bedroom now, and curled up on the bed, Darien brushed the knots out of her hair while the radio played something soft in the background. 

Serious now, Darien shifted to face her, her long hair starting to dry and and curl at the ends again. Her sweet face looked up so trustingly at him, her eyes aquamarine in the candleglow. He lifted one hand to his lips and gently kissed each finger. Darien struggled with how to start this, how to tell her that he hadn't been considerate enough of her, that her body might already be becoming a woman in truth. Her gaze was steady on him, and he cursed himself for allowing his reaction to her to cloud his judgement. She didn't deserve this, the uncertainty and worry this would give her. 

'What is it, Darien?' she said softly. 'You look so . . . strange. Is there . . . did I . . . do something wrong?' Her expression reflected her uncertainty and Darien kicked himself again. 

'No, no, Serena. You've got it wrong . . . I'm the one that did something wrong. And I have to say that I'm afraid to tell you, that you might . . . well, not think very much of me.' Serena leaned forward and hugged him, her soft cheek brushing against his, slim arms wrapped around his neck. Darien hugged her back, unable to resist the temptation to hold her again, and allowed himself a quick kiss to the pulse in her neck. 

Serena whispered in his ear, 'I love you. I love you. I love you.' It seemed a chant of protection and declaration, her voice low and clear. 'Always. Forever. Even if you forget about me tomorrow.' Leaning back to face him, she kissed him on his forehead. With a smile, she looked deep in his eyes. 'I'll forgive you anything. I love you. And I think that I always have.' 

Darien felt his heart crack open and bleed for the honest, forthright way she gave him everything she was without asking if he felt the same way. That had always been Serena, to give without asking for return. With a deep breath he confessed his sin. 'Serena . . . I wasn't careful with you. All I could think of was how good you felt in my arms, and how much I wanted you. Serena, I didn't use any protection, didn't think of the consequences.' Darien could see that he was confusing her, that she didn't understand where he was going with this. He put it bluntly, 'You could be pregnant. You could be carrying my child right now.' 

Serena's face reflected startlement at first, and to his astonishment, a fierce gladness. 'A baby? Your baby?' she squeaked breathlessly. Her hands flew to her stomach, and her eyes immediately dropped there, as if trying to see the proof of his words already swelling inside her. 'I hope its a boy,' she said dreamily, '. . .with your hair and beautiful stormcloud eyes.' 

Darien groaned and held her fiercely, 'You're not supposed to like the idea, Serena. You're too young for that responsibility, and you have so much to do yet. And I'm a fool for making it possible. I was selfish, I wasn't thinking of your protection like I should have been.' His lips twisted and his voice became as rough as concrete. 'All I could think of was being inside you, being your lover. And now you might pay the price for my lack of concentration. I'm so sorry Serena. I never meant to bring you any pain.' 

Her eyes still reflected the joyous idea of a life maybe growing inside her, and secretly she hoped it was. It would be so good to have his child, to have her body changing with proof that he was hers and she was his, that she held him in a way no one could deny. Carefully, she cuddled into his lap again, and rested her ear against his chest, feeling his heartbeat throb into her body. 'It's ok, Darien, I didn't think of it either. And I felt the same way, all I wanted was your arms around me too.' She blushed but continued bravely. 'I'm sure it'll be ok. Don't worry about it, alright? We'll just have to be more careful.' 

He kissed the top of her head, and gave way to the inevitable. The fact that she seemed delighted in the idea made him shake his head in wonder. He cuddled her gently in his arms and contemplated the golden child that she was. It seemed so unfair that the real world would come crashing in tomorrow with no regard for the feelings of new lovers. Lips to her hair, he sorrowed for the parting that would be. He was sure that such a magical night as tonight would never come again, that tomorrow they would go their separate ways and have to settle for stolen moments away from the prying eyes of others. He knew Serena didn't appreciate the complexities of this, and he wished her to remain ignorant as long as possible. People could be cruel, and much as he felt for her, he knew others simply wouldn't understand. And to make things even bleaker for their future together, how to explain that he was the infamous Tuxedo Kamen, that until now his whole life had been focused on fighting to obtain the fabulous nijizuishou. Darien didn't know how he could do both . . . continue the battle and keep Serena as well. Darien was well aware of how chilling his focus could be, to the exclusion of everything else around him. And he knew that he couldn't give up now, the nijizuishou were too important, too vital to his sanity to let them go. He knew a feeling of inevitabiliy that he would lose Serena in this, that when his focus realigned to his primary goal, she would be confused and angry and then hurt, perhaps beyond recovery. And her love would wither like a flower away from sunshine. 

Darien closed his eyes and tried to get his heart to accept that Serena could only be, should only be, a brief flare of light in the darkness of his life. He didn't think his heart understood all the overwhelming reasons why this couldn't continue, and he knew his body was conspiring against him as well. He sighed silently and gave up worrying about it; this whole affair had a feeling of unrealness about it anyways. He hugged her in his lap tightly and she gave him such a sweet smile that he forgot to care about anything else. 

Darien coaxed her off the bed and drew down the rumpled covers. He unwound the thick towel around her and let it drop, following it with his own. He settled her into his bed just like she had always belonged there, and stretched his cool length beside her. Snuggled into her body, Darien let himself drift away, the extertions of the night catching up with the both of them like a wave of darkest water. At peace for the first time in many years, Darien slept. 

* * *

In another part of the city, a dark haired girl knelt in front of a burning fire, the light flickering over her face making her seem like a demon in a play. Rei asked herself again what she was doing here in front of the sacred fire, but knew that her temper would plague her until she finished this. Jealousy had gnawed on her heart all evening, and she had waited until she was sure her grandfather was sleeping soundly before creeping down here. The sacred fire was really only to be used for good purpose, and Rei knew that what she was about to do was bad karma - but she really couldn't help herself. She had to know who that girl was, and how important she was to Darien. Her eyes reflected burning flames and the rage roared in her heart like a fire itself. 

Rei chanted the invocations, preparing her spirit to recieve the images the fire would give her. When she reached her center, she threw open the doors of her soul and called out. 'O sacred fire, show me the temptress that steals the heart of my love!' Rei waited calmly, bathed in the glow of the fire. It crackled and spun before her, and Rei felt a weight, as if a wall was holding her back, guarding what she wanted to know. Rei pushed her spirit forth a little farther, and demanded again, 'Show me what I need to know. Sacred fire, I command it!' Never had Rei forced a vision as she did with this call, and she felt her spirit bleeding its energy into the otherworld between this one and that, trying to bridge the gap between her knowledge and her desire. Just when she thought she'd have to break it off or be drawn into the flames, the fire flared and the wall crumbled beneath the pressure she was applying. The fire leaped and then settled and a vision formed before Rei's astonished eyes. Darien slept in his bed, dark head bowing protectively over a golden one. Although she had guessed what was going on, Rei's anger leaped into white-hot rage that he could be so cruel to her. She loved him, and she had tried to make him see that he loved her too, and this is what he had done. Another girl lay in his arms, obviously having recieved more of Darien's attention than she ever had. Shifting in sleep, the girl turned away slightly, and Rei realized with shock who lay there in contentment. Mind reeling with the information, Rei's attention switched back to Darien, man who had betrayed her love. 

Darien dreamed he awoke, the room suddenly stuffy and warm. It seemed like a presence of evil hung over him with bright wings and horrible eyes, something that focused on Serena with burning intensity. Darien could feel the hovering danger, the impending sense of doom about to fall and dreamlike, he thrust up one hand against the danger and he spoke a word of power. Golden light filled his body and eyes, dazzled him with its brilliance and the evil presence winked out, thrust out of existence with the force of power he had thrown at it. The light cracked and fell apart into a shower of fireworks, cascading to the floor in shimmering waves. In seconds it was gone, leaving Darien blinking and wondering what kind of dream he'd just been having. Something in his heart was burning, a flower that ached and warmed him. Then the sensation faded and Darien was alone in the dark again, Serena breathing softly beside him. The experience quickly faded and exhaustion hit him like a wall, and Darien tumbled headlong back into sleep. 

Rei woke up, and stared at the ceiling in confusion. Shifting to one elbow, her head split into several pieces and she moaned with the pain of the headache. Wincing, she looked at the sacred fire that now burned sullenly in the grate. What the hell was that, she wondered. Never before had she been hit with such raw, unfocused power, not in all her questing through the fire or as the fighter Sailor Mars. Darien's power had flooded through the link she had forged and had slammed her physically back into the wall of the house. In the moment of that link, Rei had known that Darien still slept and that his power was reflexive and unfocused. Wonderingly, she realized that if he had truly been awake and focused, he could have killed her with it. The pain of his betrayal lessened beneath this new, overwhelming puzzle. Just what was Darien, that had always been so ordinary, doing with a power that could level a trained mind like hers? And what was Serena, of all people, doing in his arms? 

Rei sat back on her heels and pressed her hands to her head, waiting for the pain to subside long enough so she could get back to bed without knocking anything over. Darien. And Serena. God, she never would have guessed that. Rei would have sworn on anything that Serena hated Darien for his condescending ways, would have been equally certain of Darien's low regard for the school-challenged Serena. Rei wasn't sure what she thought anymore, wasn't even sure she was angry anymore. One thing was certain, she didn't want to look at either of them until she figured out what she felt, and if she was going to tell anyone what she knew. There was more going on here than she had guessed, and that blast of raw power had upset anything she might have felt. Rei felt like she'd been kicked by a mule, and wobbling, she stood and made her way back to her lonely bed. 

* * *

When he awoke, the sun was blurrily peering into his window. A crick of the neck told him it was still early, that it had been his internal clock that had woken him. His arm was asleep and he looked over to be greeted with the sight of Serena blocking off his circulation. His heart thumped and he smiled lazily, hair messily tumbled into his eyes. Carefully he withdrew his arm and waited for the pins and needles to subside. She murmured in her sleep, but didn't wake up from her dreams. Frowning, Darien tried to recall what he'd been dreaming, something that had a taste of danger, and a liquid light. Then it was gone again, and Darien kept only a lingering sense of something odd having happened. When his arm felt like it belonged to his body again, he rolled over onto his stomach and kissed her nose in her sleep. She wrinkled it, and subsided. He kissed it again, wanting to see her beautiful eyes, and this time she raised a hand and swatted him away. Blinking, he grinned and then used his finger to tickle her. Mumbling grumpily, she said, 'Ok Luna, ok. I'm awake. I'm going to school. Stupid cat.' 

Lazily, Darien drawled back at her, 'I'm not stupid. Or a cat. Do you want to wake up now?' Serena's eyes flew open, dreams still flying through them like minnows. She blinked and then smiled so happily that Darien was glad he'd woken her. 

'You feel like a cat,' she said sleepily. 'All warm and fuzzy.' She giggled at the image, and Darien mocked growled at her. 

'Fuzzy huh? I'll show you fuzzy.' Mercilessly he tickled her until she howled, feet kicking and sending his covers everywhere. Breathlessly she yelped for mercy, and eventually he let her be, both of them panting and laughing, tangled in the covers like bugs. Impulsively, Serena kissed him lightly and then did it again. His eyes started to light with something other than laughter, and Serena's breath caught in her throat. The next kiss was full of reawakened desire and she melted into his arms again. 

They made love for the last time slowly, taking the time to explore each other fully in the growing light of day, laughter and sweet words easily passing between them. The sun flowed over them like a liquid sea of light, and Serena revelled in the detail of his body and how differently it worked from hers. When finally he joined with her, she felt completed, like she had been missing his presence her whole life without knowing it. With steady pace he melded into her, his driving hips sinking her deeper into his bed and his kisses full of honeyed desire. She returned them with interest, and raised her legs to lock around his waist, completing each stroke with him in perfect harmony. The light swelled around them, glowing on the healthy sheen of their twisting bodies. When the end came, it came for them together. Darien cried his release into her hair, body shuddering with uncontrollable surges into her. Her soft voice pleaded in his ear and her fingers buried into his hair in a grip of passion. Quivering, they collapsed together, Darien sprawled over top of her and too deliciously replete to move. She stroked his hair and rocked him gently, her legs lowering to clasp his legs. He made a motion to move away, not wanting to crush her slight weight under his, but she held him fiercely and he desisted. The light rose and their breathing slowed until they slept again. 

This time it was the alarm that woke them, Darien switching it off with a small curse for the bright day. It seemed that words were too full of meanings, too obtrusive in this private dream of love they had shared. He saw the growing misery in her eyes, but knew there was nothing that could change it. Silently, he helped her from the bed, realizing himself how lonely he was going to be that night, sleeping where she had been with him. They showered, Darien laving her sorest parts with tender hands. He helped her find her clothes and she dressed reluctantly, each item seeming to seal them away from each other. He tried to dress casually himself, cursing the necessity of being places today. Dressed, they stood facing each other in the living room, the light in the window showing him clearly the anguish in her eyes. 

'I don't think I can do this, Darien,' she said miserably. 'I don't think I can pretend that you don't mean anything to me anymore. I don't want to leave here and pretend this . . . we . . . never happened.' She gulped, and lowered her head. Darien started to say something but she shook her head. 'It's no good for us, is it? I'm too young, there's too much I don't understand about you . . . but I love you so much I can't breathe with it sometimes.' She struggled for more words, but this time Darien was the one who interrupted her. 

'Serena.' His voice was loving and she looked up, tears showing her in eyes. 'I don't know much . . . but youth is something you grow out of. Somehow we'll find a way Serena. We'll figure it out somehow, because we have to. I don't think I can let you go.' His eyes burned intently into hers and he repeated it, as much for himself as for her. 'I can't let you go. I love you. Outside this room, you have to pretend that nothing has changed, I told you that last night and I meant it. But we'll be together as often as we can, and somehow . . . we'll make it work Serena.' Darien meant every word he said with all of his heart, but a voice in his mind just laughed. 

'Just hold me.' she breathed. She came into his arms as sweetly as ever, and Darien held her tightly. They stood that way for a long time, neither of them willing to let go quite yet. Finally, the embrace ended and Darien whetted his lips. 'Come on,' he said roughly, 'I'll drive you home.' With a sigh, she held his hand and they left the apartment, the door closing behind them with a sound of finality. 

Fin


End file.
